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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 
D 
D 
D 


Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

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Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


D 


n 


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Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 

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mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 

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Commentaires  suppl6mentaires; 


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Pages  damaged/ 
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[~~b^ages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

Lid  p, 


□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 

r~^  Showthrough/ 
I — I    Transparence 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


D 


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Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

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Seule  Edition  disponible 


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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


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10X  14X  18X  22X 


12X 


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Th«  copy  filmed  hara  has  baan  raproducad  thank* 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canad<» 

The  Images  appearing  hare  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
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Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
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other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatratad  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
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beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
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A 


HISTORY  OF  CANADA 


HY 


CHARLES   G.    D.    ROBERTS 


I 


BOSTON,  NEW  YORK,  LONDON 

LAMSON,  VVOLFFE,  AND  COMPANY 

1897 


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mmmt 


0 

i 


CorvRinHT,  iRq7, 
Bv  LAMSON,  WOLFFE,  AND  COMPANY, 


AN  rights  reserved. 


NortDooD  X^xni 

3.  8.  Cuihinn  &  Co.  -^  Berwick  &  Smith 
Norwood  Masi.  U.S.A. 


^'M 


CONTENTS. 


FIRST    PERIOD. 

FRENCH  DOMINION :— THE  STKUGGLE   FOR  NEW  WORLD 

EMPIRE. 


CIIAFrER   I. 

Sections:  —  i,  Introductory.  2,  The  Northmen.  3,  Columbus.  4,  The 
Cabots,  and  Verrazzano.  5,  Cartier's  First  Voyage.  6,  Cartier's 
Second  Voyage.     7,  Cartier's  Third  Voyage,  and  de  Roberval 


PAOB 


CHAITKR   II. 

Sections  :  — 8,  France  forgets  Canada  for  a  Time.  The  English  in  New- 
foundland. 9,  The  Expedition  of  de  la  Roche.  10,  Champlain 
and  de  Monts  at  St.  Croix.  11,  Champlain,  I'outrincourt,  and 
Lescarbot  at  Port  Royal.  12,  Hiencourt,  and  the  Jesuits  in  Acadie. 
13,  Newfoundland.     Henry  Hudson 


18 


CHAPTER   HI. 

Sections:  — 14,  Champlain  at  Quebec.  15,  Champlain  explores  the 
Ottawa.  16,  The  Expedition  to  the  Huron  Country.  17,  The 
Lordship  of  Canada  passes  from  Hand  to  Hand.  18,  First  Capture 
of  Quebec  by  the  English.    Champlain's  Last  Days         .        .        '34 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Sections:  — 19,  The  Scotch  in  Acadie.  20,  The  de  la  Tours,  Father 
and  Son.  21,  The  Struggle  between  de  la  Tour  and  Charnisay. 
22,  The  Latter  Days  and  Death  of  Charnisay.  Changes  in  Owner- 
ship of  Acadie '46 

vii 


h 


VIU 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 
23,  The   Work   of  the   Jesuits. 


PAGB 


Skctions  :  —  23,  The  Work  of  the  Jesuits.  24,  The  Founding  of 
Montreal.  25,  The  Destruction  of  the  Huron  Mission.  26,  New 
France  and  New  England.  The  Jesuits  and  the  Iroquois.  27,  Laval. 
DoUard.     28,  Dissen.w>ns  in  Quebec.    The  Great  Earthquakes  59 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Sections:  —  29,  The  Sovereign  Council;  and  Land-holding  in  Canada. 

30,  Talon    comes   to   Canada.      The    English   seize    New   York. 

31,  De  Tracy  comes  to  Canada,  and  the   Iroquois  are  chastised. 

32,  New  France  reaches  out  to  the  Mississippi  and  Hudson  Bay, 
and  secures  her  hold  upon  Lake  Ontario 


74 


CHAPTER   VH.  . 

Sections  :  —  33,  Frontenac  comes  to  Canada.  La  Salle.  34,  Fronte- 
nac's  Recall;  and  la  Barre's  Folly.  35,  Dertonville,  Dongan,  and 
the  Iroquois.  36,  Kondiaronk,  "  The  Rat,'  kills  the  Peace.  The 
Lachine  Massacre    . .       84 

CHAPTER  VIH. 

Skctions  :  —  37,  Frontenac  strikes  the  English  Colonies.  38,  Phips  at 
Port  Royd  and  at  Quebec.  Madeleine  de  la  Vercheres.  Death  of 
Frontenac.  39,  D'Iberville  in  Hudson  Bay,  Acadie,  and  New- 
foundland. 40,  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession.  Final  Conquest 
of  Acadie.     41,  Repose,  Progress,  and  Western  Expansion  .       97 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Skcitons  :  —  42,  The  War  of  the  Austrian  Succession.  Pepperell's  Cap- 
ture of  Louisburg.  43,  Louisburg  restored  to  France.  Boundary 
Disputes.  .H.  I'he  English  hold  tiglitens  on  Nova  Scotia. 
41;,  Fall  of  Beausejour,  and  Expulsion  of  the  Acadians.  46,  The 
Struggle  in  the  West 115 

CHAPTER  X. 

Sections  :  —  47,  The  Seven  Years'  War.  Fall  of  Fort  William  Henry. 
48,  The  Combatants  compared,  Loui^!)uig  once  more.  49,  Ti- 
conderoga.     50,  The  Beginning  of  the  luid 137 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


CHAPTER   XL 

Sections:  —  51,  Wolfe  and  Montcalm  Face  to  Face, 
of  Abraham.     53,  Quebec  in  English  Hands  . 


52,  The  Plains 


150 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

Sections  :  —  54,  Population  and  Dwellings  at  the  Close  of  the  French 
Period.  55,  Dress,  Arms,  Social  Customs,  Food,  etc.,  during  the 
French  Period  . 164 


) 
i 

\ 

■; 


SECOND  PERIOD. 

ENGLISH  DOMINION:— THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  RESPONSIBLE 

GOVERNMENT. 

'     CHAPTER   Xni. 

Sections  :  —  56,  T!ie  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac.    57,  The  Quebec   Act, 

58,  Affairs  in  Nova  Scotia 173 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Sections  :  —  59,  Trouble  brewing  between  England  and  the  Thirteen 
Colonies.  60,  The  War  begun,  and  Canada  invaded  by  the  Revo- 
lutionists.    61,  The  Revoking  Colonies  achieve  their  Independence     182 


CHAITER    XV. 

Sections:  — 62,  The  Loyalists.  63,  Experiences  of  the  Loyalists  during 
the  War.  64,  The  Loyalists  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and 
Prince  Edward  Island.  65,  The  Loyalists  in  Western  Canada. 
66,  Conditions  of  Life  among  the  Loyalists 


194 


i' 


CHAFFER   XVI. 

Sections  :  —  67,  Lord  Dorchester  Governor-General.  68,  The  Consti- 
tutional Act.  69,  The  Two  Canadas  —  Upper  and  Lower.  70,  The 
Maritime  Provinces.  71,  Threats  of  War  between  England  and 
the  United  States 208 


i 


W 


X 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

Sections  :  — 72,  War  declared  by  Congress.     73,   1812. 
Plan  Iff  Campaign.      74,  The  Campaign  of  1813. 
paigii  of  1814 


The  American 
75,  The  Cam- 


PAGB 


224 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Sections:  — 76,  The  North-west;    1 789-1835.     77,  Strife  in  Politics. 
Growth  in  Population.     78,  Political  Strife  in  Lower  Canada  . 


254 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Sections  :  —  79,  Political  Strife  in  Upper  Canada.  80,  The  Struggles 
in  Nova  Scotia.  Si,  Political  Strife  and  other  Matters  in  New 
Hrunswick.  82,  Affairs  in  Cape  Breton,  Prince  Edward  Island, 
and  Newfoundland 260 


CHAPTER    XX. 


Sections  :  —  83,  The  Rebellion  in  Lower  Canada.  84,  The  Rebellion 
in  Upper  Canada.  85,  Lord  Durham  and  his  Report.  86,  The 
Canadas  united.  87,  Responsible  Government  gained  in  New 
Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia     .... 


291 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Sections  :— 88,  The  Rebellion  Losses  Bill.  Confederation  proposed. 
89,  The  Reciprocity  Treaty.  90,  Prince  Edward  Island,  New- 
foundland, the  North-west,  and  British  Columbia     ....     319 

CHAPTER   XXII. 


Sections:— 91,  Growth  of  Confederation  Sentiments  in  the  Canadas. 
92,  The  Charlottetown  Conference,  Quebec  Conference,  and  Quebec 
Resolutions.  93,  How  the  Quebec  Resolutions  were  received. 
94,  Confederation  accomplished       .         ... 


335 


CONTENTS. 


xi 


THIRD  PERIOD. 

CANADIAN  DOMINION :  — EXPANSION  AND   CONSOLIDATION. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

PACiK 

Sections  :  —  95,  The  First  Dominion  Parliament.  96,  Nova  Scotia 
reconciled.  97,  The  Red  River  Settlement  becomes  the  Province 
of  Manitoba     . .     354 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Sections:  —  98,  British  Columbia  joins  the  Dominion.  99,  Provincial 
Affairs.  100,  Prince  Edward  Islam!  joins  the  Dominion.  Change 
of  Government.  loi,  The  National  Policy.  The  Fisheries  Com- 
mission      368 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Sections: — 102,  Causes  leading  to  the  Saskatchewan  Rebellion. 
103,  The  Saskatchewan  Rebellion.  104,  The  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway 384 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Sicctions: —  105,  Fisheries  Dispute  again.  106,  Third  Dominion  Cen- 
sus.    10;/,  Affairs  in  Newfoundland  up  to  the  Present  Day      .         .     403 

CHAFFER   XXVII. 

Sections  :  —  108,    Intellectual     Progress.        109,    Material    Progress. 

no,    Present  Conditions,  and   the  Outlook 417 


V  APPENDICES. 

A.  British  North  America  Act 443 

B.  The  Indians  of  Canada 477 

General  Index 481 


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A    HISTORY   OF   CANADA 


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A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


-ooJOiC 


FIRST    PERIOD. 

FRENCH  DOMINION: -THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  NEW 
WORLD  EMPIRE. 


CHAPTER    I. 

SECTIONS:  —  I,  Introditctory.    2,  the  Northmen.    3,  Colum- 
bus.   4,  THE   Cabots,  and  Verk.\zzano.     5,   Cartier's   First 


Voyage.    6,  Cartier's  Second  Voyage. 
Voyage,  and  de  Robekval. 


7,  Cartier's  Third 


I.  Introductory.  — The  stage  on  which  the  drama  of  Canadian 
History  unfolds  may  seem  to  the  world  an  obscure  one.  A  closer 
view,  however,  will  reveal  that  on  this  stage  some  of  the  gravest 
problems  of  history  have  been  pressed  to  a  solution ;  and  we  may 
reasonably  expect  to  find  in  this  drama  an  answer  to  some  of  the 
weightiest  questions  of  modern  politics.  Battles  were  fought  on 
the  Rhine,  the  Elbe,  the  Danube ;  German,  Austrian,  Spanish 
thrones  were  shaken  to  their  fall ;  navies  grappled  in  Canadian 
the  Caribbean,  and  Mahratta  hordes  were  slaughtered  ?e?a«ontothe 
on  the  rice-fields  of  Indi:i,  to  decide  the  struggle  which  ^°'^''^- 
ended  only  upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Now,  in  these  imperial 
domains  which  Wolfe's  triumph  secured  to  British  sway,  a  people 
is  taking  shape  which  bids  fiiir  to  combine  the  power  and  genius 
of  the  two  great  races  from  which  it  springs.  In  the  hands  of 
this  people  it  will  perhaps  rest  to  decide  whether  the  Kinpire  of 
Greater  Britain,  built  with  so  much  treasure   and  baptized  with 


A   II/STOKY  OF  CANADA. 


The  three 
divisions  of 
Canadian 
history. 


SO  much  blood,  will  split  into  pieces  or  be  rlrawn  into  a  yet  closer 
and  stronger  union. 

The  history  of  Canada '  falls  into  three  great  natural  divisions. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  period  of  French  Dominion ;  and  its 
distinguishing  feature  is  the  strife  between  France  and  England 
for  the  mastery  of  North  America.  This  strife,  the  real  object 
of  which  was  often  vague  to  the  eyes  of  the  contestants,  was  kept 
active  by  the  spur  of  varying  rivalries  and  needs.  Out  of  a  tangle 
of  trade  jealousies  and  religious  contentions  we  see  it  stand  forth 
as  the  central  and  controlling  influence  of  the  period.  It  supplies 
the  connection  between  incidents  and  actions  which  would  other- 
wise seem  to  bear  no  relation  to  each  other.  During 
this  period  the  history  of  Canada  is  world-wide  in  its  sig- 
nificance. It  is  the  concern  of  nations.  The  second 
division,  lasting  from  the  fall  of  Montreal,  in  1760,  to  Confedera- 
tion, is  the  period  of  English  l^ominion.  Its  central  feature  is  the 
struggle  of  the  people  for  the  right  to  govern  themselves,  after 
the  manner  of  free  Britons  in  their  own  land.  During  this  period 
the  foundations  of  Canada's  greatness  were  firmly  laid ;  but  what 
went  on  within  the  borders  of  our  scattered  provinces  was  little 
heeded  by  the  world  at  large.  When  the  right  of  self-government, 
commonly  known  as  Responsible  Government,  was  gained,  it  was 
by  and  by  enlarged  and  secured  by  a  union  of  the  provinces ; 
and  on  July  ist,  1867,  Canada  entered  upon  the  third  division 
of  her  history,  the  period  of  Confederation.  Of  this  the  chief 
features  are  expansion  and  consolidation,  with  the  growth  of  a 
national  sentiment.  And  now,  having  stretched  her  power  over 
half  a  continent  and  drawn  her  boundaries  along  three  oceans, 
Canada  becomes  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  world  and  begins  to 
feel  her  hand  on  the  reins  of  destiny. 

2.    The  Northmen.  — The  true  sources  of  history  lie  somewhere 

1  The  name  "Canada"  is  probably  derived  from  the  Huron-Iroquois  word 
"  Kanata,"  which  means  a  village.  At  the  time  of  Caitier's  explorations  the  name 
applied  to  the  country  lying  along  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Isle  au  Coudres  to  a 
point  some  distance  above  Stadacona.  Lescarbot  applies  the  name  to  the  whole 
St.  Lawrence  valley  from  Hochelaga  (now  Montreal)  to  the  Gulf. 


THE  NORTHMEN. 


in  the  wonder-land  of  myth  and  tradition.  Canadian  history 
seems  to  have  its  proper  beginning  in  that  vague  atmosphere, 
coloured  with  adventure  and  romance,  which  surrounds  the  west- 
ward voyagings  of  the  Northmen.  Though  nothing  came  of  these 
Norse  discoveries,  they  are  interesting  as  the  first  recorded  con- 
tact of  our  race  with  these  lands  which  we  now  occupy.  They 
are  significant,  because  they  were  a  direct  result  of  that  spirit  of 
determined  independence  which  dwells  in  our  blood.  The  west- 
When  Harold  Harfager,  in  the  ninth  century,  under-  mentof°tho 
took  to  impose  feudalism  upon  Norway,  the  Vikings  Northmen, 
turned  westward  their  indignant  prows,  and  found  a  harsh  freedom 
in  the  commonwealths  which  they  established  in  Iceland  and  the 
Faroes.  But  theirs  were  not  a  sky  and  soil  to  encourage  indolent 
content,  and  ever  further  westward  they  pushed  restlessly,  till, 
about  the  year  q86  a.d.,  the  coast  of  Greenland  was  occupied  by 
Eric  the  Red.  Soon  a  strong  Greenland  colony  flourished  on  the 
western  shore,  more  hospitable  then  than  now,  and  extended  itself 
nortiiward  as  far  as  the  seventy-fifth  parallel.  A  Greenland  colo- 
nist, Beorn  by  name,  being  caught  in  a  north-east  gale  while  on 
a  coasting  voyage,  was  swept  far  to  the  west  and  south,  till  he 
sighted  unknown  shores.  His  tale  stirred  up  Leif  Ericson,  who 
presently  set  forth  to  explore  these  "  New  Lands,"  as  they  were 
called  (looo  a.d.).  The  point  at  which  he  first  touched  this 
continent  was  probably  the  coast  of  Labrador,  near  Hamilton 
Inlet.  This  region,  with  its  austere  soil  and  sea-Une,  he  named 
Stoneland.  Thence  sailing  south  he  reached  a  friendlier  shore, 
which  he  called  Bushland.  This,  in  all  likelihood,  was  the  east- 
ern coast  of  Newfoundland,  a  region  of  high  plateaus  covered 
with  thickets.  Running  westward  across  the  Gulf  he  »  *  th 
reached  a  pleasant   country  where    the  wild   grapes  i;".*'''X,'^S?P* 

grew,  and  called  it  therefore  Vineland.    Whether  Vine-   colonizes 
°  Vineland. 

land  was  Nova  Scotia  or  the  coast  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  is  a  question  much  disputed  among  historians.     Here  he 
established  a  village  called  Leif's  Booths ;  and  here  his  brother 
Thorwald  built  him  a  new  ship,  on  a  headland  which  they  called 


A    ///SrcA'V  OF  CA/^ADA. 


r 


Keelness.  From  Leif  and  his  followtTb  went  forth  good  reports 
of  tlic  westfrn  country.  Ships  from  (Ireenland  came  yearly  for 
cargoes  of  tlie  Viiieland  timber,  much  coveted  for  masts.  A 
leader  named  Thortinn  Karlscfni  made  a  larger  effort  to  found 
a  colony.  Willi  one  hundred  and  sixty  followers,  and  hornt.-(l 
cattle,  and  grain  to  sow  in  the  new  fields,  he  led  three  dragon- 
ships  to  Vineland  and  planteil  his  "booths"  in  a  sheltered  haven, 
liut  the  work  of  settlement  thus  bravely  begun  went  to  ruin  umler 
the  arrows  of  the  savages.  Then  fell  a  darkness  of  four  centuries. 
Invents  in  luirope  opened  richer  fields  to  tiie  yelUjw-haired  free- 
booters of  the  North,  and  Vineland,  Bushland,  Stoneland  were 
Failure  of  the  forgotten.  Even  the  great  Cireenland  colony,  with  its 
Norsemen.  stone-built  cities,  its  churches  and  its  bishoprics,  its 
ambitions  and  its  letters  and  its  trade,  lapsed  soon  into  decay. 
The  Esquimaux  laid  it  waste  ;  a  hostile  fleet  completed  its  de- 
struction ;  and  dense  fields  of  floe  and  berg  shut  in  the  devas- 
tateil  coast.  Of  the  visit  of  the  Northmen  to  America  there 
came' nothing  at  last  but  two  Icelandic  sagas,  in  which  are  told 
the  brave  adventures  of  Eric,  and  Leif,  and  Thorfinn. 

3.  Columbus.  —  With  the  name  of  Columbus  we  find  ourselves 
in  the  broad  daylight  of  verified  history.  Though  Columbus 
neither  knew  nor  considered  the  northern  portions  of  the  conti- 
nent which  he  gave  to  civilization,  his  achievement  is  none  the 
less  a  part  of  Canadian  history.  It  pointed  out  the  way  to  the 
makers  of  Canada.  The  sailing  of  Columbus  into  the  heart  of 
the  unknown  west,  a  region  which  superstitious  fancy  had  peopled 
with  strange  terrors,  was  one  of  the  most  daring  deeds  of  man. 
It  may  be  regarded  as  the  perfect  HcA/ering  of  that  age  of  ro- 
mantic adventure  and  restless  curiosity. 

When  Columbus,  after  years  of  jurh    failure  and   discourage- 


1  The  old  stone  mill  at  Newport,  long  supposed  to  be  a  Norse  relic,  was  really 
built  by  a  governor  of  Rhode  Island  late  in  the  seventeenth  century;  and  the  sup- 
posed Norse  pictures  on  the  Dighton  Rock,  in  Massachusetts,  have  proved  to  be 
the  work  of  Algonquin  Indians.  A  perhaps  more  credible  witness  is  the  Norse 
rock,  at  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia,  bearing  an  inscription  in  dotted  runes, which  seems 
to  point  to  the  presence  of  the  Norsemen  in  the  nth  century. 


COLUMIiUS. 


ment  as  would  have  daunted  any  heart  of  less  heroic  fibre,  at 
last  set  sail  from  the  Spanish  port  of  I'alos,  his  hope  and  faith 
were  fixed  upon  the  finding  of  a  new  pathway  to  IncUa.  He 
was  in  reality  swept  westward  by  a  broad  and  mighty  impulse. 
This  impulsi"  was  the  awakening  hunger  of  the  western  nations, 
Spain,  Portugal,  Holland,  France,  and  England,  for  a  participa- 
tion in  the  gorgeous  traffic  of  the  ICast,  which  at  that  time  was 

emptying  itself  into  the  laps  of  the  Italian  merchant 

A  no  lorccs 

republics.    The  only  way  to  the  treasures  of  the  spice   which  moved 

'  '  Columbus, 

islands,  to  the  gold  and  silks  and  jewels  of  Cipango 

and  Ceylon,  lay  through  the  Mediterranean  and  the  caravan 
routes  of  Persia.  While  the  Italian  cities  held  control  of  these, 
their  monopoly  of  the  eastern  trade  was  safe.  Columbus  was  a 
skilled  mariner,  trained  in  the  service  of  Clenoa.  An  eager  stu- 
dent, he  knew  whatever  of  geography  there  was  in  that  day  to 
be  known.  A  daring  dreamer,  he  had  gathered  and  woven 
together  all  there  was  of  floating  myth  or  dim  legend  that  might 
point  to  the  existence  of  land  in  the  furthest  west.  He  knew  the 
world  was  round,  though  he  little  knew  how  great  was  its  circum- 
ference; and  from  this  knowledge  he  passed  to  the  belief  that  the 
new  path  to  the  East  lay  through  the  West.  The  grand  idea  which 
his  imagination  brooded,  together  with  his  services  in  carrying  it 
out,  he  offered  first  to  his  mother  land  of  Genoa.  But  Genoa  did 
not  want  a  new  route  to  the  East.  Then  he  turned,  but  in  vain, 
to  Portugal.  The  hopes  of  Portugal  were  set  upon  a  xhe  struggles 
passage  around  the  south  of  Africa,  and  her  captains  °'  Columbus, 
were  pushing  their  keels  down  the  coast  of  that  mysterious  conti- 
nent. To  England  and  to  France  Columbus  held  out  his  wondrous 
offer ;  but  these  countries  were  slow  and  unbelieving.  It  was  to 
Spain  he  made  his  most  persistent  appeal ;  and  Spain,  to  her  im- 
perishable glory,  gave  ear.  The  Queen  of  Spain  was  little  con- 
cerned with  trade ;  but  she  was  fired  with  a  dream  of  winning 
new  worlds  to  the  faith  of  Christ.  When  Columbus  sailed  on  his 
great  voyage,  he  did  so  under  the  patronage  of  King  Ferdinand  of 
Aragon  and  Queen  Isabella  of  Castile. 


^mmmmm 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


His  triumph. 


The  story  of  that  seventy  days'  voyage  of  Columbus,  with  his 
three  cockle-shell  craft,  and  no  guide  but  his  faith  and  the 
tremulous  finger  of  his  compass,  is  one  of  the  heroic  ornaments 
of  time.  On  the  12th  day  of  October,  1492,  he  landed  on  an 
island  of  the  Bahamas.  As  he  offered  up  his  thanks  to  God 
amid  a  throng  of  mild-eyed  natives,  he  foncied  himself  upon  the 
skirts  of  Asia.  To  the  dark-skinned  inhabitants,  therefore,  he 
gave  the  misleading  name  of  Indians.'  Spain,  to  whom  he  had 
given  an  empire  beyond  the  dreams  of  pride,  heaped 
honours  upon  him  and  made  him  Admiral  of  the 
Ocean.  The  after  voyages  of  Columbus,  and  the  feats  of  naviga- 
tors who  followed  in  his  track,  are  not  a  part  of  Canadian  history. 
4.  The  Cabots  and  Other  Explorers.  —  What  Columbus  had 
discovered  was  the  island- fringe  of  the  continent.  Not  till  1497, 
when  Vasco  di  Gama  was  rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
leading  the  ships  of  Portugal  to  the  treasure-houses  of  India,  was 
the  mainland  of  the  New  World  revealed.  Then  an  expedition 
from  Bristol,  under  the  leadership  of  John  Cabot,  reached  the 
continent  at  a  point  which  is  now  Canadian  territory.'^  Cabot 
sailed  under  charter  from  Henry  VII ;   and  England  was  thus 

enabled  to  claim  the  North  American  continent  on 
The  discov- 
ery of  the         the  ground  of  first   discovery.     In   this  same  mem- 
mainland. 

orable  year,  according  to  some  authorities,  a  Floren- 
tine named  Amerigo  Vespucci  also  reached  the  mainland,  at  a 
point  within  the  tropics.  It  is  pretty  certain,  however,  that  Ves- 
pucci never  saw  the  mainland  of  the  New  World  till  1499.  when 
he  took  part  in  an  expedition  which  landed  on  the  coast;  of 
Brazil.  He  did  not  lead  this  expedition ;  and  it  is  one  of  the 
strangest  freaks  of  Fate  that  a  comparatively  obscure  explorer 
like  Amerigo  Vespucci  should  have  been  immortalized  in  the 
naming  of  two  continents.' 


1  The  Indians  of  the  North  American  continent  are  described  in  Appendix  B. 
'^  Probably  a  point  on  tlie  Labrador  coast,  though  some  authorities  liold  it  to 
have  been  the  gulf  coast  of  Nov.i  Scotia. 

8  Amerigo  Vespucci  wrote  an  irUeresting  account  of  his  voyages,  and  Brazil  was 


■I      I 


r//£   CABOTS  AND   OTflER  EXPLCIERS,  7 

The  achievements  of  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot,  father  and 
son,  entitle  their  names  to  a  place  near  that  of  Columbus  on 
tiie  roll  of  great  discoverers.  These  men,  though  sailing  from 
the  port  of  Bristol  and  under  the  flag  of  England,  were  Italian 
mariners  from  Venice.  The  King's  charter  was  held  by  John 
Cabot  and  his  three  sons,  the  greatest  of  whom,  Sebastian,  is 
supposed  to  have  accompanied  him  on  his  first  voyage.  Behind 
their  enterprise  lay  a  number  of  influences.  The  King  wished 
a  share  in  the  glory  and  gain  which  Spain  was  reaping  through 
Columbus.  The  merchants  of  Bristol  were  looking  for  a  great 
trade  in  stock-fish.  Before  th^  eyes  of  John  Cabot  himself  glit- 
tered visions  of  golden  Cipango ;  and  like  Columbus 

he  appears  to   have  cherished  dreams  of  winning  a  and  English 

enterprise, 
new  world   to  the   faith   of  Christ.     The   Cabots  in 

1498  explored  the  whole  coast,  from  Labrador  to  South  Caro- 
lina. Though  the  discovery  of  Newfoundland  is  credited  to 
them,  it  is  sometimes  claimed  that  the  Bank  Fisheries  were 
already  known  to  Biscayan  fishermen.  However  this  may  be, 
it  is  certain  that  English,  Norman,  Basque,  and  Breton  lost  no 
time  in  flocking  to  the  rich  harvest  there  revealed.  In  151 7, 
only  twenty  years  after  Cabot's  discovery,  there  were  no  less 
than  fifiy  vessels  on  the  Banks.  In  a  second  expedition,  sent 
out  in  the  following  year  by  Henry  VII,  the  Cabots  turned  their 
sails  northward,  seeking  a  way  to  India.  They  got  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  Hiv'iscr  s  Straits.  Then  the  Arctic  ice  forced  them 
back.  In  rie  i^  gi;  ot  Henry  VIII  a  new  charter  was  granted 
to  Seb.i';''an  Cabot,  who  continued  that  int-epid  search  for  a 
north-west  jasiage  which  has  lasted  nearly  down  to  the  present 
day.  It  is  '.ot  too  much  to  claim  for  th«,.-  : '  lian  mariners  that 
they  showeci  the  way  to  Er.glish  enterprise,  'and  laid  the  founda- 
tions on  which  England  was  to  build  her  maritime  and  colonial 
greatness.  Their  deeds  are  ccmmeinorated  only  in  the  late 
naming  of  a  barren  group  of  islets  near  Newfoundland. 


named  America  in  his  honour.    The  r.air.e  gradi'a'iy  -assed  to  the  whole  southera 
contine.i7t,  and  then  to  the  northeto  ccriiin'^nt  as  v  ei). 


mmi 


8 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Close  in  the  wake  of  the  Cabots  followed  a  Portuguese  navi- 
gator, Cortereal,  who  in  the  year  1500  visited  the  coasts  of 
Labrador  and  Newfoundland,  and  carried  away  to  slavery  a 
ship-load  of  the  red  inhabitants.  In  early  Portuguese  maps  all 
this  region  is  marked  Terra  Cor/erealis,  the  Land  of  Cortereal. 
In  1506  a  Frenchman,  Denis  of  Honfleur,  visited  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  In  15 18  the  Baron  de  L^ry  tried  to  plant  et- 
tlement  on  Sable  Island.  His  choice  of  a  site  fills  one  with 
wonder ;  and  utter  failure  was  the  only  possible  result.  The 
cattle,  however,  which  he  left  behind  him  throve  on  the  sandy 
levels,  and  their  multiplying  herds  became  at  length  a  monument 

to  his  vain  enterprise.  The  next  important  visitor  to 
Cortereal , 

Denii^ofHon-  Canadian   shores  was   John  Verrazzano.     He  was  a 
fleur,  de  Lery,  .  .  .  ,    ,      _  ,    ,r- 

and  Verraz-      Florentine  navigator  in  the  service  ot  the  trench  King, 

Francis  I.  In  1524  Verrazzano  hastily  examined  the 
coast  from  somewhere  on  the  Carolina  shore  northward  to  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence,  and  declared  the  whole  region  annexed  to  the 
French  Crown.  From  Newfoundland  he  sailed  back  to  France. 
He  had  gained  much  fresh  knowledge  of  the  New  World's 
Atlantic  borders.  At  the  same  time  he  had  repaid  the  hospi- 
tahty  of  the  natives  by  kidnapping  a  child  upon  the  shore.  It 
was  by  acts  like  these  that  the  barbarians  of  America  were  in- 
structed in  the  civilization  of  Europe. 

5.  Cartier's  First  Voyage. — The  Old  World  powers  were 
parting  the  New  World  between  them ;  and  on  the  strength  of 
Verrazzano's  discoveries  France  made  ready  to  claim  her  share  of 
the  spoil.  Though  not  the  first  in  the  field,  she  outstripped  for  a 
time  the  efforts  of  her  northern  rivals.  Her  wise  or  fortunate 
choice  of  men  enabled  her  to  do  this.  While  English  navigators, 
each  a  picturesque  compound  of  merchant,  buccaneer,  and  hero, 
were  trading  to  Brazil  or  the  Guinea  coast,  lording  it  over  the  cod- 
fish fleets  in  the  fogs  of  Newfoundland,  battling  with  the  ships  of 
Spain  in  the  tropics  or  with  ice-floe  and  famine  in  the  spectral 
Arctic  waters,  France  was  entering  Canada  by  the  gates  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  making  good  her  h^ld  on  half  a  continent. 


CARTIER'S  FIRST    VOYAGE. 


In  the  early  spring  of  1534  Jacques  Cartier  set  sail  for  the 
New  World  from  the  illustrious  port  of  St.  Malo.  Cartier  was  a 
Breton  mariner  of  good  family  and  repute,  strong  in  the  posses- 
sion of  court  favour.  His  patron  was  an  enthusiastic  young  noble, 
Philippe  de  Brion-Chabot,  who  was  deep  in  the  con-  jacques 
fidence  of  Francis  I,  and  diligently  fostered  the  King's  ^*'^'"- 
dream  of  New  World  empire.  Cartier  was  well  fitted  to  the  task 
now  put  upon  him.  About  forty  years  of  age,  dauntless,  keen  of 
eye,  rugged  and  lean  of  countenance,  he  had  successes  and  intre- 
pidities already  on  his  record.  The  company  with  which  he  sailed 
consisted  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  in  two  small  ships. 
"*^  After  twenty  days  of  favouring  weather  they  reached  the  coast 

of  Newfoundland.  This  was  on  May  the  loth.  Passing  through 
the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle  he  viewed  with  little  satisfaction  the  bleak 
coast  of  Labrador,  which  seemed  to  him  Cain's  portion  of  the 
earth.  Thence  heading  down  and  across  the  Gulf  he  ran  through 
the  Magdalen  Islands,  coasted  along  Prince  Edward  cartier  visits 
Island,  and  came  upon  the  north  shore  of  New  Bruns-  wick  and"*" 
wick,  somewhere  to  the  south  of  Point  Escuminac.  ®**p^- 
In  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  small  streams  so  numerous  in  that 
region  of  water-courses,  he  found  a  fertility  and  abundance  that 
delighted  all  his  company.  The  forests  were  rich  with  pine,  maple, 
and  ash.  The  meadows  were  purple  with  vetch-blossoms.  Wild 
berries  everywliere  tempted  the  thirsty  lip.  The  voyagers  lay 
awake  at  night  and  listened  with  wonder  to  the  noise  of  count- 
less salmon  passing  the  shallows,  or  to  the  wings  of  innumerable 
wild-pigeons  streaming  overhead.  To  add  to  Cartier's  good  opin- 
ion of  this  favoured  land,  its  inhabitants  were  friendly  and  few. 
Passing  northward  the  explorers  crossed  the  mouth  of  Miramichi 
Bay,  and  came,  in  early  July,  to  the  green  and  sheltered  waters  of 
a  bay  whose  shores  wavered  through  a  violet  haze  of  heat.  Hence 
these  waters  received  the  name  of  Baie  des  Chaleurs.  Leaving  the 
bay,  whose  north  shore  only  he  touched,  Cartier  rounded  the  east- 
ern promontory  of  Casp^.  On  the  Gasp6  shore  he  set  up  a  cross 
thirty  feet  high,  bearing  a  shield  with  the  arms  of  France.     This 


> 

■u 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


ceremony  roused  the  suspicions  of  the  Indians,  whose  instincts  ap- 
parently detected  in  it  some  violation  of  their  rights  of  sovereignty. 
They  were  soon  appeased,  however,  with  protestations  and  trinkets. 
Taking  base  advantage  of  their  confidence,  Cartier  lured  two  of 
the  young  savages  into  his  ship,  and  carried  them  away  to  France. 
His  sudden  return,  after  he  had  sighted  the  shores  of  Anticosti  and 
reached  the  very  threshold  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  was  due  to  his 
dread  of  the  autumn  storms.  For  his  treachery  to  the  Indians  he 
was  afterwards  to  p;  dear.  For  the  blood  and  tears  which  stain 
the  whole  line  of  cc  etween  the  Old  World  r3.,es  and  the 

savages  of  America,  tii  '  'ame  seems  to  lie  chiefly  with  those 
whose  civilization  and  creed  should  have  made  such  a  reproach 
impossible.  The  record  of  France,  however,  in  spite  of  the  bar- 
barity of  Cartier  and  of  Verrazzano's  cruelties,  looks  fair  enough 
when  compared  with  the  records  of  some  of  her  rivals. 

6.  Cartier's  Second  Voyage.  —  When  Cartier,  on  the  5th  of 
September,  reentered  in  triumph  the  harbour  of  St.  Malo,  he  had 
missed  by  a  hair's-breadth  the  discovery  of  the  great  river  across 
whose  mouth  he  had  sailed ;  but  he  imagined  that  he  had  found 
the  gateway  of  the  passage  to  Cathay.  The  heart  of  France 
Enthusiasm  thrilled  to  his  story.  Here  was  empire  to  be  won, 
cirt^"?!**^"  here  were  heathen  to  be  converted,  here  were  riches 
discoveries.  ^^  y^^  gathered  in.  The  king,  the  priest,  and  the 
trader,  all  awoke  to  enthusiasm.  On  the  19th  of  May,  1535, 
St.  Malo  again  saw  Cartier's  sail  diminish  on  the  blue  horizon, 
speeded  by  the  prayers  of  France.  On  this  expedition  Cartier 
had  three  small  ships.*  In  his  company  were  representatives  of 
some  of  the  noblest  families  in  the  kingdom.  Presently  a  storm 
arose  and  scattered  the  litde  fleet ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  end  of 
Cartier  July  that  they  came  together  again,  at  their  rendez- 

Canadawith  ^^^^^^  <^"  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle.  Holding  his  course 
three  ships,  more  to  the  northward  than  on  the  previous  voyage, 
Cartier  passed  a  large  island  which  he  named  Assomption,  now 


1  The  Hermine,  the  Petite  Hermine,  and  the  Emerillon. 


CARTIEK'S  SECOND    VOYAGE. 


II 


Antirosti.  To  a  bay  north  of  Anticosti  Cartier  gave  the  name 
of  St.  Lawrence,  in  honour  of  the  saint  upon  whose  festival  it 
was  discovered.  The  name  was  destined  soon  to  spread  not  only 
to  the  gulf  he  had  just  traversed,  but  also  to  the  great  river  in 
whose  channel  he  now  found  himself.  Continuing  up  the  rivtir, 
which  Cartier  learned  from  his  kidnapped  Indians  to  call  "  the 
great  river  of  Canada,"  the  explorers  entered  the  austere  portals 
of  the  Saguenay,  and  floated  with  awe  upon  the  sombre  waters  of 
that  gigantic  trough.  Here  they  met  Indians  in  birch-bark  canoes, 
with  whom  they  communicated  through  their  guides.  Not  delay- 
ing to  explore  the  Saguenay  they  resumed  their  journey  up  the 
main  stream,  rounded  an  island  rich  in  hazels,  which  they  called 
Isle  an  Coudres,  passed  the  beetling  shoulder  of  Cape  Tourmente, 
and  came  to  a  spacious  green  island  so  abounding  in  wild  vines 
that  the  delighted  voyagers  called  it  the  Isle  of  Bacchus.*  Here 
they  cast  anchor.  Presently  from  every  cove  and  inlet  came  glid- 
ing the  noiseless,  yellow,  birchen  craft  of  the  natives.  Distrustful 
at  first,  the  savages  were  quickly  conciliated,  and  thronged  with 
marvelling  admiration  about  the  white  men  and  their  strange 
ships. 

Above  the  island  the  shores  contracted  sharply  and  the  river 
forced  its  way  between  towering  battlements  of  gray  rock  stained 
with  red.     On  the  northern  shore  the  heights  broke  off  abniptly, 
forming  that  majestic  promontory  now  crowned  by  the  citadel 
of  Quebec.     Here  were  huddled  the  wigwams  of  Stadacona,  the 
savage  metropolis  of  that  region  ;  and  here  Donnacona,  the  ruling 
chief,  who  had  visited  Cartier  at  his  first  anchorage  on  cartier 
the  Isle  of  Bacchus,  extended  to  the  strangers  a  bar-  gife  of  ^  *^* 
barous  but  ardent  hospitality.     Under  the  shadow  of  Q"*''®*=- 
the  cape  a  small  river  emptied  itself  quietly,  and  in  its  mouth  the 
Frenchmen  found  safe  harbourage  for  their  ships. 

The  Indians  were  all    friendship,  but   to  Cartier's   design   of 
ascending  the  river  they  offered  a  vehement  opposition.     Argu- 

1  Now  the  fruitful  and  populous  He  d'0rl6ans. 


J) 


■ri<> 


wsmmmm 


T 


13 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


cends  the  St 
Lawrence  to 
Hochelaga. 


ment  and  entreaty  failing  to  dissuade  the  obstinate  stranger,  they 
tried  to  work  upon  his  fears.  A  clever  masquerade  was  prepared, 
and  the  Frenchmen,  leaning  over  the  sides  of  their  vessels,  watched 
with  amused  perplexity  what  seemed  to  be  three  demons  who 
drifted  slowly  past  them  in  a  canoe.  These  were  medicine  men. 
adorned  with  monstrous  horns,  their  faces  blackened,  their  eyes 
glaring  with  hideous  fixity  upon  the  strangers.  The  chief  demon 
yelled  a  fierce  harangue  till  the  canoe  had  floated  some  distance 
down  the  current.  Then  all  three  paddled  ashore,  fell  down  as 
if  dead,  and  were  carried  with  clamour  into  a  sheltering  thicket. 
Thence  presently  i"«"ed  Cartier's  two  savage  interpreters,  who 
explained  that  the  god  Coudouagny  had  sent  three  messengers 
to  warn  the  rash  white  men  from  their  purpose.  Dreadful  calami- 
ties of  storm  and  ^""ost  .» tre  predicted  for  them ;  but  Cartier 
Cartieras-  derided  the  mummery  and  went  on  up  the  river.  He 
took  the  smallest  of  his  ships,  two  boats,  and  a  numer- 
ous following.  The  further  he  advanced  the  fairer  grew 
the  prospect,  the  more  fertile  seemed  the  soil ;  and  the  natives 
were  everywhere  friendly.  In  the  shallow  expanse  of  Lake  St. 
Peter  he  ran  his  vessel  aground,  but  with  his  boats  he  pushed  on 
undaunted.  On  the  second  of  October  he  reached  the  lovely 
island  with  its  guardian  mount,  deep  in  whose  green  recesses  hid 
the  town  of  Hochelaga. 

The  voyagers  were  welcomed  to  the  shore  by  throngs  of  danc- 
ing Indians,  who  overwhelmed  them  with  gifts  of  fish  and  fruit 
and  corn.  On  the  following  morning,  led  by  their  delighted  hosts, 
they  marched  through  the  woods  by  a  well-travelled  path,  till  they 
came  out  upon  an  expanse  of  maize-fields,  in  the  midst  of  which, 
ngainst  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  rose  the  triple  palisades  of 
Hochelaga.  These  palisades  were  built  with  galleries  along  the 
inside,  where  heaps  of  stones  were  stored  for  purposes  of  defence. 
Hochelaga  was  a  good  specimen  of  the  Huron-Iroquois 
town.  It  consisted  of  half-a-hundred  large  dwellings, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  by  forty  or  forty-five  feet  wide, 
built  of  poles  and  covered  with  sheets  of  bark.     Down  the  long, 


Hochelaga. 


CARTIER'S  SECOND    VOYAGE. 


13 


unpartitioned  centre  ran  a  row  of  fires,  and  around  each  smoky 
hearth  gathered  a  family.  In  the  middle  of  the  town  was  an  open 
square,  wherein  the  tribe  held  its  councils.  Here  the  Frenchmen 
were  received  with  joyous  reverence,  as  if  they  had  been  half 
divine.  The  adoring  excitement  grew  as  Cartier  scattered  on  all 
sides  his  presents,  —  knives,  beads,  rings,  and  little  sacred  images 
of  pewter.  The  head  chief  of  the  tribe,  a  paralytic  and  helpless 
old  man,  was  brought  before  Cartier  on  a  mat  to  be  cured  of  his 
sickness.  Cartier  was  somewhat  embarrassed  by  such  faith ;  but 
he  treated  his  unexpected  patient  as  best  he  could  with  a  prayer 
for  his  soul  as  well  as  for  his  body,  touched  him,  and  sent  him 
away  happy  if  not  healed.  Then  came  all  the  sick  and  infirm  of 
the  tribe  to  be  treated  in  like  manner.  This  done,  Cartier  with- 
drew himself  and  his  Httle  band  from  the  grateful  attentions  of 
their  hosts,  and  set  out  for  the  mountain.  The  Indians  guided 
them  to  its  summit :  and  with  exulting  eyes  Cartier  looked  out 
across  the  luxuriant  forest,  already  flaming  in  scarlet  and  amber 
under  the  touch  of  the  early  frosts.  The  mountain  he  called 
Mount  Royal ;  and  where  his  eyes  then  rested  so  well  content  sits 
now  the  queenly  city  of  Montreal. 

From  Hochelaga  Cartier  hastened  back  to  Stadacona,  built  a 
fort  on  the  shore  by  the  ships,  and  made  ready  for  the  winter. 
He  knew  not  what  to  make  ready  for,  however ;  and  before  the 
little  colony  was  half  prepa^-ed  the  violence  of  the  season  broke 
upon  them,  such  cold  and  such  storms  as  they  had  never  dreamed 
of.  It  seemed  to  them  as  if  the  world  could  nevermore  emerge 
from  the  snows  which  overwhelmed  it.  Soon  a  malignant  scurvy 
broke  out  among  them,  and  they  knew  not  how  to  combat  it  by 
diet  or  medicine.     Out  of  their  company  of  one  hun- 

dred  and  ten  men  twenty-five  died,  and  all  the  rest  winters  at 

stadacona. 
but  three  or  four  tottered  on  the  brink  of  the  grave. 

To  hide  the  weakness  of  the  garrison,  Cartier  made  those  who 

were   strong    enough   pound   on   the  walls   with  hammers,  that 

the  savages  might   think    there  were  vigour  and  activity  within. 

But  the  savages  themselves  were  sore  beset  with  the  same  plague, 


t| 


<< » 


«s'V 


■Si^\    I    '      ••>„ 


mammmmmm 


1\ 


H 


A   HIS  TONY  OF  CANADA. 


Cartier  kid- 
naps the  hos- 
pitable chiefs 


and  could  give  little  heed  to  the  strangers.  At  last  Cartier  learned 
from  an  Indian  that  the  disease  might  be  cured  by  a  decoction  of 
a  certain  evergreen  which  he  called  ameda  (probably  a  spruce  or 
arbor-vitoe),  and  this  remedy  the  Frenchmen  tried  at  once.  They 
tried  it  with  such  desperate  eagerness  that  in  six  days  they  con- 
sumed a  good-sized  tree ;  and  it  proved  so  efficacious  that  the 
disease  was  stayed,  and  the  invalids  rose  swiftly  back  to  health. 

When  spring  released  the  ships  and  brought  cheer  again  to  the 
exiles,  Cartier  made  ready  for  the  return  to  France.  First,  having 
heard  from  the  Indians  glowing  tales  of  gold,  silver,  red  copper, 
rubies,  and  a  race  of  one-legged  men  to  be  found  in  the  interior 
country,  he  resolved  that  he  would  have  witnesses  to  corroborate 
his  story.  Luring  the  hospitable  Donnacona  and  four 
lesser  chiefs  into  an  ambush,  he  imprisoned  them  in 
the  ships.  The  Indians  were  told  that  their  chiefs 
were  going  away  of  their  own  free  will,  being  eager  to  meet  the 
French  King  and  view  all  the  wonders  beyond  sea.  Then,  having 
erected  on  the  shore  a  cross  thirty  feet  high  with  the  fleur-de-lis 
affixed  to  it,  Cartier  on  the  i6th  day  of  May  turned  his  prows 
toward  France.  On  the  i6th  of  June,  1536,  he  furled  his  storm- 
rent  sails  once  more  beneath  the  ramparts  of  St.  Malo. 

In  the  same  spring,  while  Cartier  was  yet  ice-bound  under 
Stadacona,  the  light  of  history  flashes  for  a  moment  upon  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland.  Two  ships  were  sent  out  from  London 
to  America  on  a  fishing  venture.  After  cruising  about  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence  they  fell  short  of  provisions,  and  entered  a  har- 
bour on  the  west  shore  of  the  island.  Finding  the  natives  too 
timorous  to  traffic  with  them  they  were  soon  in  peril 
of  starvation ;  but  from  this  strait  they  were  relieved 
by  the  timely  arrival  of  a  French  trading-ship  well 
laden  with  stores.  Though  France  and  England  were  then  at 
peace,  the  French  ship  was  promptly  seized.  It  was  a  time  and 
place  not  conducive  to  ceremony.  The  injured  Frenchmen  made 
complaint  to  the  English  King,  our  eighth  Henry.  That  robust 
monarch   decided  that  the   piracy  of  his   subjects  was  justified 


English  ships 
in  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence. 


CAR  TIER'S  LAST    VOYAGE. 


n 


by  the  pressing  nature  of  their  needs ;  but  he  repaid  the  unfortu- 
nate Frenchmen's  losses  out  of  his  own  pocket. 

7.  Cartier's  Last  Voyage;  and  de  Roberval.  —  For  the  next  few 
years  the  French  King,  the  inconstant  Francis,  was  too  much 
occupied  in  defending  his  domains  at  home  to  think  much  of 
exteiiding  them  abroad.  His  great  rival,  Charles  V  of  Spain, 
was  pressing  him  with  fierce  hostility.  At  length  came  peace ; 
and  as  Francis  recovered  breath  and  looked  about  him,  his  eyes 
were  once  more  turned  upon  Canada.  The  Sieur  de  Roberval, 
a  nobleman  of  Picardy,  was  made  governor  of  Canada  and  all 
the  surrounding  regions ;  and  Cartier,  under  him,  was  appointed 
captain-general.  Donnacona  and  his  fellow-captives  had  died 
meanwhile ;  and  Cartier  showed  a  natural  reluctance  to  revisit 
the  spot  where  he  had  so  cruelly  returned  the  kindness  of  his 
hosts.  But  at  length  he  consented.  With  five  ships,  a  great 
company  of  followers,  and  stock  and  implements  for  founding  a 
colony,  he  left  St.  Malo  on  the  23rd  of  May,  1541.  De  Roberval 
stayed   behind,  intending   to   follow  close  upon   his   heels  with 

additional  ships  and  supplies.    The  voyage  proved  a  „    , 

^  '  '  ,  ,  Cartier  comes 

stormy  one.     At  Newfoundland,  where  de  Roberval  a  third  time 

to  Canada . 
was  to  overtake  him,  Cartier  lingered  till  his  patience 

was  outworn.  Then,  resuming  his  journey,  he  crossed  the  Gulf, 
and  on  the  23rd  of  August  he  came  under  the  stem  front  of 
Stadacona's  cape.  In  great  numbers,  but  not  with  their  old 
joyous  welcome,  the  Indians  crowded  about  him.  Cartier  con- 
fessed to  them  that  Donnacona  was  dead,  but  he  declared  that 
the  other  chiefs  had  married  in  France,  and  were  living  in  such 
splendour  that  they  could  not  be  persuaded  to  return.  This  tale 
the  Indians  pretended  to  believe;  but  Cartier  felt  that  they  were 
merely  covering  up  a  fire  of  hate  which  would  flame  out  at  the 
first  opportunity  of  revenge.  He  forsook  uneasily  his  old  an- 
chorage in  the  St.  Charles  (then  called  the  St.  Croix),  and 
moved  further  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Cap  Rouge.  Here  he 
watched  in  vain  for  de  Roberval's  expected  sails.  Sending  back 
two  of  his  ships  with  tidings  to  France,  he  established  his  colony 


i6 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


in  a  fortified  post  which  he  called  Charlesbourg  Royal.  Here  he 
passed  an  anxious,  though  not  a  disastrous  winter.  In  the  spring, 
discouraged  apparently  by  de  Roberval's  continued  absence  and 
by  the  sullen  enmity  of  the  Indians,  he  gathered  the  colony  back 
into  his  ships,  bade  an  ungrateful  farewell  to  the  frowning  height 

of  Stadacona,  and  fled  away  for  France.  Entering 
He  winters  at  '  ° 

Charlesbourg  the  harbour  of  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  in  the  early 
Royal,  and  j  >  >  / 

then  gives  up  part  of  June,  he  found  there  the  belated  de  Rob- 
his  enterprise.  ,.,,.«  i     i  •     i    ■  • 

erval  with   his  fleet,  a  year  behind  his  engagement. 

The  fiery  viceroy  ordered  his  captain-general  back  to  his  post ; 
but  Cartier  slipped  out  of  the  harbour  in  the  night  and  made  his 
best  haste  homeward.  In  his  native  St.  Malo,  or  in  his  neigh- 
bouring manor-house  of  Limoilou,  Cartier  settled  down  to  a  life 
of  civil  ease,  content  with  the  patent  of  nobility  which  his  voy- 
ages had  won  for  him. 

In  nj  gentle  humour  de  Roberval  pressed  on  to  Canada.  He 
took  possession  of  the  deserted  structures  of  Charlesbourg  Royal, 
Cleared  fields,  sowed  crops,  cut  paths,  raised  new  buiUlings.  His 
company  seems  to  have  been  an  unruly  one,  but  he  governed  with 
a  rod  of  iron,  and  his  harshness  kept  the  peace.  He  seems,  how- 
ever, to  have  lacked  prudence  and  foresight ;  and  when  winter 
came  upon  the  lonely  colony  it  was  found  that  the  store  of  pro- 
visions was  not  enough  to  last  till  spring.     Every  one  was  put  on 

short  allowance.  Fish  and  roots,  in  meagre  supply, 
De  Roberval's  o  \  i   J^ 

attempt  at  were  purchased  from  the  Indians.  But  the  dread 
colonization.        ,  ^     ,  ,      ,  ,      , 

plague   of  the  scurvy  broke  out,  and   there  was  no 

one  to  teach  them  Cartier's  remedy.     Fifty  of  the  settlers  died, 

and    by  spring  de  Roberval's  enthusiasm  was  at  an  end.     That 

summer  he  carried   back  to  France  the  pitiful  remnants  of  his 

colony.     In  1549,  with  his  brother  Achille,  he  organized  another 

expedition  to  Canada,  the  fate  of  which  is  one  of  the  romantic 

secrets  of  history.     A  dim  tradition  would  have  us  believe  that 

the    adventurers   sailed  -  up   the   Saguenay,    seeking    a   kingdom 

of  jewels  and  strange  enchantments ;    and  that  no  man   of  the 

company  ever  returned  through  the  bleak   portals  of  that  wiz- 


ard '  stre: 
that  de  F 
lence  one 
It  is  in 
were  thu 
by  its  ea 
southern 

1  A  tribt 
name  of  tlie 

2  The  ad 
by  Hunter  J 


l^il 


V 


CARTIER'S  LAST    VOYAGE. 


17 


ard*  stream.  Another  and  more  credible  story  tells  us,  however, 
that  de  Roberval*  eventually  returned  to  France,  and  d'ed  by  vio- 
lence one  night  in  the  streets  of  Paris. 

It  is  interesting  to  consider  that  while  Cartier  and  de  Roberval 
were  thus  exploring  the  St.  Lawrence  at  d  piercing  the  continent 
by  its  eastern  portals,  the  Spaniard  de  Soto  was  entering  the 
southern  gateway  and  threading  the  channels  of  the  Mississippi. 


1  A  tribe  of  Indians  frequenting  the  head  waters  of  the  Saguenay  goes  by  the 
name  of  the  Wizards.    See  W.  H.  H.  Murray's  story  of  "  Mamelons." 

3  The  adventures  of  Roberval  arc  vividly  presented  in  a  drama  of  that  name 
by  Hunter  Duvar. 


CHATTER    II. 

SECTIONS :  —  8,  Franck  FORfans  Canada  for  a  time.  The  Eng- 
lish IN  Newfoundland  9,  the  E.v  edition  ok  de  la  Rochk. 
10,  Champlain  and  de  Monts  at  St.  Croi.x.     ii,  Chamih.ain, 

POUTRINCOURT,     AND     LESCAKUOT     AT     PORT     ROYAL.        12,    BlEN- 

court,   and  the  jesuits    in    acadie.       i3,    newfoundland. 
Henry  Hudson. 

8.  Canada  forgotten  by  France.  The  English  in  Newfound- 
land. -  -  Kor  the  half  century  succieeding  Roberval's  fiiihire,  Canada 
France's  ^as  forgotten  by  France,  save  that  i'Vench  fishermen 
engaged'at  ^^  ^ver  growing  ninnbers  thronged  to  the  Banks  of 
home.  Newfoundland.      lorn  by  her  religious  wars,  France 

could  not  afford  to  look  beyond  her  own  borders,  and  had  no  in- 
terest to  spare  for  the  New  World.  A  P'rench  colony,  indeed,  was 
Massacre  of  established  in  Florida,  1562-65;  but  it  was  the  fruit 
guenot colony  °^  private  enterprise,  and  being  a  colony  of  Huguenots, 
the^Span-  ^^  ^^  territory  claimed  by  Spain,  it  invited  the  most  ma- 
iards.  lignant  hostility  of  the  Spaniards.     The  butcher  Me- 

nendez  was  sent  out  to  remove  it,  which  he  did  by  hanging  or 
cutting  to  pieces  men,  women,  and  children  alike.     This  hideous 
atrocity  was  avenged  by  the  patriot  de  Gourgues,  who, 

geanceofde    descending  on  the  Siianiards  like  a  whirlwind,  capt- 
ourgues.  01  <       » 

ured  the  defences,  and  hanged  the  prisoners  on  the 
very  scene  of  their  crimes.  De  Gourgues  accomplished  his  ven- 
geance in  1568. 

French  enterprise  was  now  completely  diverted  from  this  conti- 
nent.    England,  hitherto  absorbed  in  adventurous  voyagings,  in 

18 


sailing  arou 
ning  to  me 
Martin    Fn 
but  this  wa 
passage,  for 
to  India, 
voyage    aro 
coast  to  the 
tains  that  k 
appearance 
English  pur 
time  the  set 
"  England's 
which   Sir 
Raleigh's  h; 
name  sh<.ds 
light  of  brav 
was  well  ecii 
sixty  men, 
colony  shoul 
enterprise, 
to  spread  in 
The  rest  of 
bour  of  St. 
Humphrey, 
a  com  man  Ii 
F'rench,  Spai 
the  port.     A 
sented  to  hii 
the  great  Eli 
eign  trading 
gave  him  no 
St.  John's  ;  ; 
Nova  Scotia 
Quebec.     M 


THE   ENGLISH  IN  NHWEOUNDI.AND. 


'9 


sailing  around  the  globe  or  pusliit'jj;  into  the  Arctic  ice,  was  ht.'gin- 
ning  to  niCLlitatt' some  serious  attfmi)ts  at  colonization.     In  1576 
Martin    Frobisher    set    luiglish    t'cet    on     Labrador;   Drake vifws 
but  this  was  like  the  heedless  alighting  of  a  bird  of  }[Jnpe7ho" 
passage,  for  Frobisher  went  on  at  once  to  seek  a  way   yf^it^j^Lvf."* 
to  India.     In  the  next  >ear  Sir  Francis  Diakc,  on  his  •"'»'»ia. 
voyage   around    the    world,  sailed   norUiward   alon^    the    P.iiifir 
coast  to  the  48th  parallel,  and  saw  the  snowy  peakh  (  !  the  moun- 
tains that  keep  watch  over  British  Columbia.      Tiiis  is   the   first 
appearance  in  history  of  our  Pacific  Province.     Si.\  years  later  the 
English  purpose  of  colonization  began  to  show  active  life.      Phis 
time  the  scene  is  Newfoundland,  which  justly  claims  the  title  of 
"  England's  Oldest  Colony."     An    expedition  was   organized,  ii\ 
which   Sir   Walter   Ralei^l;   had    large   interest.     Its   leader  was 
Raleigh's  half-brother,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  whose 
name  sheds  upon  the  page  of  Canadian  history  a  fair  Gilbert  takes 

'  '     °  '  possession  of 

light  of  bravery,  faith,  and  gentleness.  The  expedition  Newfound- 
was  well  equipped.  It  consisted  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  men,  among  whjm  were  all  such  skilled  mechanics  as  a 
colony  should  require.  But  Fortune  had  set  her  face  against  the 
enterprise.  When  but  two  days  out  a  contagious  disease  began 
to  spread  in  one  of  the  ships,  anil  she  was  (.um|H.'lled  to  turn  back. 
The  rest  of  the  fleet,  after  a  rough  passage,  entered  the  safe  har- 
bour of  St.  John's.  This  was  in  August,  of  the  year  1583.  Sir 
Humphrey,  in  his  rich  Elizabethan  dress  of  lace  and  velvet,  was 
a  commanding  figure  among  the  rough  fishermen  and  sailors, — 
French,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  and  English,  —  whose  sh:i)!.  thronged 
the  port.  After  the  feudal  custom  a  branch  and  a  sod  were  pre- 
sented to  him,  and  he  took  possession  in  the  name  of  hij  Queen, 
the  great  Elizabeth.  He  enacted  many  laws,  and  forced  the  for- 
eign trading-vessels  to  acknowledge  his  authority.  His  charter 
gave  him  no  less  than  six  hundred  miles  in  every  direction  from 
St.  John's;  and  his  territory  therefore  im  luded  New  Brunswick, 
Nova  Scotia,  Prince  Edward  Island,  and  parts  of  Labrador  and 
Quebec.     Much  energy  was  spent  in  exploring,  and  in  searching 


^p  A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 

for  silver.  But  in  one  of  these  explorations  Sir  Humphrey's 
largest  ship  was  lost.  Provisions  grew  scarce ;  and  finding  his 
people  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  winter,  the  gallant  Admiral 
decided  on  returning  to  England.  His  flagship  was  the  little 
Squirrel,  of  ten  tons'  burden,  by  far  the  smallest  of  the  fleet. 
Death  of  Sir  t)n  the  homeward  voyage  a  great  storm  arose.  Sir 
Humphrey.  Humphrey  refused  to  go  on  board  a  larger  ship  ;  and 
in  the  loud  darkness  of  the  hurricane  the  Squirrel  went  down. 
It  is  a  heroic  picture  that  flashes  upon  us  out  of  the  terror  of  that 
far-oif  night.  We  see  Sir  Humphrey,  his  Bible  in  his  lap,  sitting 
unmoved  in  the  stern  of  his  puny  and  foundering  vessel ;  and  we 
hear  his  words  of  comfort  to  his  men  —  "(^heer  up,  lads,  we  are 
as  near  heaven  at  sea  as  on  land  !  " 

y.  The  Expedition  of   de  la  Roche. — As  the  century  closed, 
dreams  of  colonization  again  began  to  stir  the  hearts  of  advent- 
urous Frenchmen.     In  isq8  the  titles  and  privileges 
De  la  Roche's  -^  ^  i  o 

convict  coio-  of  the  ill-fated  de  Roberval  were  transferred  to  a 
nists. 

nobleman  of  Brittany,  the  Marquis  de  la  Roche.     He, 

unable  to  find  enough  volunteers  for  his  purpose,  made  a  selec- 
tion of  sturdy  convicts  from  the  prisons  of  the  land.  Shunning  the 
unlucky  track  of  de  Roberval,  de  la  Roche  steered  much  further 
to  the  south ;  and  at  length  the  solitary  little  ship  came  in  sight  of 
the  ominous,  sandy  horns  of  Sable  Island.  This  long  crescent 
of  shifting  sand,  built  up  by  meeting  currents  off"  the  coast  of  Nova 
Scotia,  and  spreading  its  deadly  shallows  fiir  abroad  beneath  the 
surf  to  devour  unwary  ships,  seemed  to  de  la  Roche  an  excellent 
spot  in  which  to  cage  his  jail-birds  while  he  went  to  explore  the 
mainland.  The  convicts  were  put  ashore,  —  if  such  bleak  sand- 
spits  could  be  called  shore,  —  and  de  la  Roche  sailed  away  to  find 
a  site  for  his  colony.    For  a  little  while  the  convicts  were  delighted 

with  their  freedom.  The  interior  of  the  island  was 
The  convicts 

abandoned  on  occupied  by  a  long,  narrow  lagoon  of  sweet  water, 

Sable  Islam.              f            /              fo'  &                                        » 

about  whose  low  shores  the  grass  and  shrubs  grew 
abundantly.  There  was  nothing  like  a  tree  on  the  island  ;  there 
were  no  eminences  except  the  hummocks  of  sand.    But  wild  ducks 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  DE  LA   ROCHE. 


21 


thronged  the  shallow  pools ;  wild  cattle,  sprung  from  de  L(5ry's 
herds,  trooped  in  the  long  grasses  ;  various  kinds  of  wild  berries 
were  everywhere  ripening  to  their  lips;  and  they  forgot  the 
scourge  and  chain.  Meanwhile,  however,  a  fierce  storm  had 
come  down  on  de  la  Roche  and  swept  hiin  back  to  France; 
where,  being  cast  upon  the  shores  of  Brittany,  he  was  seizetl  by 
a  powerful  foe,  the  IXike  de  Mercceur,  and  consigned  to  prison. 
The  convicts  on  the  island,  when  they  realized  that  they  had 
been  abandoned  to  their  fate,  cried  out  in  despair  for  even  the 
very  jails  of  their  own  land.  They  fought  and  slev/  each  other 
like  beasts,  over  the  too  scanty  food ;  till  at  last  awe  and  fear 
drew  the  remnant  together,  when  their  refuge  darkened  under 
the  autumn  hurricanes,  and  shook  horribly  to  the  thunder  of 
the  waves.  They  lived  on  the  raw  flesh  of  the  cattle,  clotl'ed 
their  bodies  in  hides,  and  heaped  themselves  a  rude  shelter  of 
timbers  from  the  wrecks  that  strewed  the  shore.  At  length  from 
his  captivity  de  la  Roche  got  word  to  the  King,  and  a  ship  was 
sent  out  to  rescue  the  unhappy  convicts.  Like  wild  creatures, 
in  their  shaggy  hides  and  matted  hair,  they  were  brought  before 
the  King,  who  pitied  them  and  granted  them  full  pardon.  De  la 
Roche,  broken  in  heahh  and  fortunes,  died  soon  after  their  res- 
cue ;  and  thus  was  recorded  another  failure  in  the  attempt  to 
colonize  Canada. 

While  de  la  Roche  was  languishing  behind  the  Duke  de  Mer- 
cceur's  walls,  while  the  convicts  grovelled  and  despaired  on  Sable 
Island,  an  effort  was  made  to  fix  a  setdement  in  the  chauvinand 
St.  L;\wrence  valley.     A  naval   officer  of  Rouen,  by  coiony^at^'^ 
the  name  of  Chauvin,  entered  into  partnership  with  Tadousac. 
an  enterprising  trader  of  .St.  Malo,  named   Pontgrav6  ;   and  the 
partners  procured  a  monopoly  of  the  fur-trade  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
region  on  the  condition  of  establishing  a  colony.     In  the  fur-trade 
they  succeeded  bravely  enough  ;  but  their  colonizing  zeal  ex[)ended 
itself  in  leaving  sixteen  men,  ill  housed,  ill  clothed,  ill  victualled,  to 
endure  the  assaults  of  a  Saguenay  winter  at  wind-swept  Tadousac. 
This  was  in  1599.     On  the  arrival  of  the  trading-ship  from  France 


if. I 


n 


\tmmwmnwBa 


IF  Willi 


=?S=K?!^^S9»W* 


22 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


!    ! 


ti' 


f:l 


in  the  following  spring,  it  was  found  that  of  the  sixteen  unhappy  set- 
tlers most  had  died,  and  the  rest  were  scattered  among  the  wigwams 
of  the  Indians.  The  Tadousac  experiment  was  not  repeated,  but 
the  fur-trade  was  continued  with  great  profit.  In  the  following 
year  Chauvin  made  a  third  voyage,  and  died  in  Canada.  His 
enterprise  at  once  fell  to  pieces.  The  name  of  Pontgra  how- 
ever, reappears  later  in  our  story,  shining  with  reflected  \.  tre  by 
association  with  the  immortal  name  of  Champlain. 

10.  Champlain  and  de  Monts  at  St.  Croix.  —  No  name  is  borne 
upon  the  annals  of  Canadian  history  more  worthy  of  reverence 
Samuel  de  than  that  of  Champlain.  Samuel  de  Champlain,  born 
Champlain.  ^^  Brouage  in  1567,  was  a  captain  in  the  French  navy 
and  high  in  the  favour  of  that  manly  monarch,  Henry  IV  of 
France.  Champlain's  was  a  restless  and  romantic  spirit,  intrepid, 
devout,  humane.  He  was  imaginative  in  conceiving  his  plans, 
practical  in  carrying  them  out.  On  a  secret  mission,  discreetly 
executed,  he  had  explored  a  part  of  Mexico  and  visited  the  Span- 
ish settlements  in  the  West  Indies. 

When,  on  the  threshold  of  the  new  century,  the  veteran  Aymar 
de  Chastes,  governor  of  Dieppe,  resolved  to  take  up  the  somewhat 
He  visits  the  discredited  mantles  of  de  Roberval  and  de  la  Roche,, 
St.  Lawrence.  ^^^  j^  colonize  for  King  and  Church  the  reluctant 
wilderness  of  Canada,  he  saw  in  Champlain  the  man  his  work  re- 
quired. His  first  step  was  to  send  C^^hamplain  on  an  exploring 
expedition  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  track  of  the  great  St. 
Malo  mariner  Champlain  pressed  forward,  till  he  reached  the  site 
of  Hochelaga  —  and  found  the  site  a  solitude.  Savage  wars  had 
blotted  out  the  corn-fields  and  the  hospitable  lodges.  Returning 
to  France  with  his  information,  he  found  that  his  patron,  de 
Chastes,  had  died  in  his  absence. 

Champlain  had  been  accompanied  on  this  journey  by  Pontgrav^. 
But  he  had  had,  also,  a  more  important  comrade,  an  adventure- 
loving  nobleman  of  the  court,  Pierre  du  Guast,  the  Sieur  de  Monts. 
The  latter  resolved  to  continue  the  work  which  had  dropped  from 
the  dead  hand  of  de  Chastes.     Dreading,  however,  the  harsh  win- 


CHAM  PLAIN  AND  DE  MO  UTS  AT  ST.    CROIX. 


23 


ters  of  the  lower  St.  Lawrence,  de  Monts  turned  his  eyes  further 

south.    And  now  the  name  of  Acadie  appears  upon  our  page.     In 

the  patent  of  de  Monts  the  Acadian  land  is  a  huge  ter-   He  sets  out 

ritory  of  very  cloudy  limits,  wide  enough  to  take  in  withde*'* 

Philadelphia  on  the  one  hand  and  Montreal  on  the  ''*°'^*3- 

other.     With  two  ships,  and  a  company  of  mingled  thieves  and 

gentlemen,  de  Monts  went  forth  in  1604  to  colonize  this  Acadie. 

Along  with  him  sailed  Champlain  and  the  Baron  de  Poutrincourt ; 

and  two  other  ships  accompanied  the  expedition,  —  the  one  to 

trade  in  furs  at  Tadousac,  the  other  to  drive  off  poachers  from  the 

new  viceroy's  fishing-grounds. 

Fair  winds  followed  the  sails  of  de  Monts.     The  voyage  was 

preserved  from  monotony  by  the  frequent  bickerings  between  his 

Catholic  and  his  Calvinist  followers.     The  first  hind 

,  He  skirts  the 

sighted  was  Cape  La  Heve,  not  far  from  the  present  Acadian 

town  of  Lunenburg,  Nova  Scotia.  Sailing  westward, 
de  Monts  entered  a  fair  and  spacious  harbour,  which  he  named 
Port  Rossignol.  The  name  was  given  in  honour  of  the  captain 
of  a  vessel  which  he  found  trading  in  the  harbour  and  promptly 
confiscated  for  violation  of  his  charter.  In  another  harbour  a 
sheep  jumped  overboard  ;  and  as  sheep  were  rare  and  precious 
just  then  in  Acadie,  de  Monts  commemorated  the  event  by  call- 
ing the  place  Port  Mouton.  De  Monts  seems  to  have  had  a 
vein  of  humour.  His  taste  in  names  certainly  differed  from  that 
of  Champlain,  whose  nomenclature  was  wholly  derived  from  a 
few  favoured  saints  and  the  members  of  his  own  flimily.  From 
Port  Mouton  the  voyagers  sailed  to  St.  Mary's  Bay,  whose  coasts 
they  explored  ;  and  then,  rounding  a  long,  narrow  promontory, 
they  floated  on  the  tossing  tides  of  the  Bay  of  Fvmdy.  Pres- 
ently they  discerned  on  their  right  a  majestic  defile  between  fir- 
crowned  steeps  of  rock ;  and  sailing  in  swiftly  on  the  crest  of  the 
flood  tide,  they  found  themselves  on  the  lovely  expanse  of  what  is 
now  called  Annapolis  Basin.  A  wide  water  steeped  in  sunshine, 
fenced  from  fogs  and  winds  by  a  deep  rim  of  wooded  hills,  it  was 
a  scene  of  enchantment  to  the  wanderers.     The  delighted  Pou- 


\H 


nt:i\m.mamwmnmmmm 


mtm 


v.. 


24 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANDIDA. 


trincourt,  asking  and  receiving  from  de  Monts  a  grant  of  the  sur- 
rounding shores,  named  the  place  Port  Royal  and  resolved  to 
make  his  home  there. 

From  Port  Royal  the  explorers  sailed  around  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  and  entered,  on  its  northern  shore,  the  mouth  of  a  great 
The  St.  John  river  called  by  the  Indians  the  Oolastook.  In  honour 
croix^dif-*'  <^f  ^he  saint  on  whose  day  it  was  discovered,  Cham- 
covered.  plain  renamed  it  the  St.  John.     Thence  still  westward 

coasting,  they  entered  a  spacious  bay  set  thick  with  islands  as  with 
innumerable  jewels.  At  the  head  of  this  green  and  restless  archi- 
pelago, to  which  has  clung  its  Indian  name  of  Passam;i(iuoddy, 
emptied  a  large  river  with  an  island  guarding  its  mouth,  rhis 
island  they  named  St.  Croix ;  and  here,  strange  to  say,  over- 
looking the  bleakness  of  the  site,  they  resolved  to  fix  their  set- 
tlement. 

St.  Croix  Island  became  a  scene  of  busy  life.  The  ragged 
cedars  which  clothed  it  were  quickly  chopped  away,  leaving  but 

a  fringe  of  them  to  fence  off  the  north-east  winds. 
Settlement        -r,    .,  ,  ,     , 

on  St.  Croix  Builduigs  were  erected  about  an  open  square,  —  store- 
IslAnd. 

houses,  work-shops,  lodgings,  barracks,  with  separate 

dwellings  for  de  Monts  and  for  Champlain.  For  defence  the 
whole  was  surrounded  with  palisades,  and  a  small  battery  was 
mounted  at  one  end.  On  the  niggardly  soil  of  the  island  Cham- 
plain  strove,  but  in  vain,  to  make  a  garden.  As  soon  as  the 
colony  was  under  roof,  Poutrincourt  sailed  back  to  France,  and 
the  lonely  little  settlement  was  left  to  face  the  winter.  Soon  the 
crimson  and  gold  of  autumn  died  out  on  the  surrounding  shores, 
and  the  cheer  of  the  sunshine  pciled.  Storms  shrieked  down  the 
frozen  river,  piercing  the  walls  of  tlieir  hasty  shelters  and  chilling 
their  hearts  ])eneath  their  too  scant  garments.  The  whirling  snow- 
drift blinded  them  ;  the  ominous  grinding  of  the  ice  before  the 
changing  tides  filled  them  with  gloom.  Being  on  an  island  where 
river  and  tide  contended  daily  for  the  mastery,  they  were  often 
cut  off  from  the  supplies  of  fuel  and  water  which  only  the  main- 
lanci  could  afford.     And  then,  when  they  were  enfeebled  by  de- 


N  i'  i 


DE  MONTS  HE  TURNS    TO   EHANCE. 


25 


pression,  the  scurvy  broke  out.  The  old,  heart-rending  scenes 
of  Stadacona  and  Charlesbourg  Royal  were  reenacted.  Out  of 
the  seventy-nine  colonists  but  forty-four  survived  to  greet  the 
spring,  —  and  these  survivors  were  often  too  weak  for  the  sad 
task  of  serving  the  dying  and  burying  the  dead.  Only  Cham- 
plain's  indomitable  courage  kept  alive  the  spark  of  hope  in  un- 
happy St.  Croix. 

Late  in  the  spring  came  Poutrincourt's  ship  from  France,  and 
the  long  anguish  was  at  an  end.     During  the  summer  Champlain 

and  de  Monts  explored  the  coast  as  far  south  as  Cape 

Colony 

Cod,  but  found  no  site  for  their  settlement  as  favour-   removed  to 

Port  Royal, 
able  as  Port  Royal.    In  August,  therefore,  the  shrunken 

colony  fled  over  the  bay  to  that  kindlier  and  more  sheltered  haven. 
They  took  with  them  the  greater  part  of  the  materials  of  their 
buildings.  When  they  were  gone  the  Indians  soon  completed 
the  work  of  demolition.  There  remains  upon  the  island  no  re- 
minder of  their  story,  except  the  ruins  of  a  well  which  may  have 
been  Champlain's. 

II.   Champlain,  Lescarbot,  and  Poutrincourt  at  Port  Royal. — 
The  colony  at  Port  Royal  was  soon  fairly  housed  ;  but  de  Monts 

had  enemies  at  court,  and  to  thwart  their  intrigues  he  „ 

°  De  Monts 

hastened  back  to  France  with  Poutrincourt,  leaving  returns  to 

France. 
Pontgrav^  and  Champlain   to   guide   the   settlement 

through  the  perils  of  another  winter.  Thanks  partly  to  the  friend- 
ship and  support  of  Menibertou,  the  old  sagamore  of  the  Mic- 
macs,  partly  to  the  wiser  foresight  of  its  leaders  and  the  better 
shelter  of  its  situation,  the  colony  underwent  no  such  terrible 
experience  as  had  befallen  it  at  St.  Croix. 

In  the  spring  the  colonists  grew  anxious  over  the  delay  of 
de  Monts  and  Poutrincourt.  As  summer  wore  on,  and  supplies 
dwindled,  and  no  sails  appeared  from  France,  they  built  them- 
selves two  little  craft,  —  the  pioneers,  these,  of  Nova  Thearrivaiof 
Scotia  ship-building,  if  we  except  the  dragon-ship  built  ^s*'"''**- 
by  Thorwald  on  Keelness.  Leaving  Port  Royal  in  charge  of  two 
of  their  number,  they  set  out  for  the  fishing  resorts  on  the  east 


Epwunp 


26 


A   HISTORY  UF  CANADA. 


coast,  hoping  to  meet  and  get  aid  from  some  of  their  fellow- 
countrymen.  They  had  been  gone  but  twelve  days,  however, 
when  Poutrincourt  arrived,  bringing  supplies  and  more  colonists. 
De  Monts,  finding  his  enemies  in  the  ascendant,  had  remained  in 
France  ;  but  he  more  than  compensated  for  his  absence  by  send- 
ing out  the  wise  and  witty  Lescarbot.  This  lawyer  of  Paris,  with 
his  scholarshi|),  his  shrewdness,  his  merry  humour,  and  his  cour- 
age, is  one  of  the  pleasantest  figures  on  the  page  of  Canadian 
history.  He  became  not  only  the  hfe  of  the  settlement,  but  also 
its  best  historian. 

A  boat  sent  out  by  Poutrincourt  overtook  the  little  ships  of 
the  party  that  had  gone  for  aid  ;  and  lively  were  the  rejoicings 
at  Port  Royal.  Pontgrav^  presently  returned  to  France,  while 
Champiain  Champlain  and  Poutrincourt  set  forth  on  a  voyage  of 
courrgo*ex°"  exploration.  Lescarbot,  left  in  charge  of  the  settle- 
pioring.  ment,  sowed  crops  of  wheat,  rye,  and  barley  in  the 

rich  meadows  bordering  the  tide.  He  planted  gardens,  too,  and 
kept  the  settlers  happily  employed.  In  November  the  explorers 
returned  to  Port  Royal,  with  nothing  but  disappointment  to  show 
for  their  summer's  effort ;  but  Lescarbot  welcomed  them  back 
with  a  gay  masquerade,  and  the  scene  of  prosperity  and  comfort 
revived  their  cheer. 

The  winter  that  followed  (that  of  1606- 160 7)  was  warm  and 
open,  so  tha":  in  January  the  colonists  amused  themselves  with 
TheOrderof  boating  on  the  river,  and  with  picnicking  on  their 
a  Good  Time,  yyheat-fields  in  the  sun.  This  was  the  memorable  win- 
ter when  Champlain's  "Order  of  a  Good  Time"  held  its  benefi- 
cent sway.  The  members  of  the  order  were  the  fifteen  leading 
men  of  the  colony ;  its  temple  was  Poutrincourt's  dark-ceilinged 
dining-hallj  its  rule  was  good-fellowship  and  mirth.  Each  mem- 
ber was  adorned  in  turn  with  the  elaborate  collar  of  Grand  Mas- 
ter, which  he  wore  for  one  day.  During  that  day  it  was  his  duty 
to  cater  for  the  table ;  and  so  well  was  the  duty  performed,  says 
Lescarbot,  that  the  order  dined  much  more  cheaply  and  not  less 
sumptuously  than  they  might  have  done  in  the  restaurants  of 


PORT  ROYAL   ABANDONED. 


a; 


Paris.  Supplies  from  France  were  abundant ;  and  with  the  help 
of  the  Indians,  who  camped  in  the  shadow  of  the  walls,  appe- 
tizing additions  of  fish  and  game  were  made  to  their  bill  of  fare. 
The  dinner,  a  feast  of  much  ceremony,  held  at  midday,  was  ruled 
by  the  Grand  Master,  with  napkin  on  shoulder  and  staff  of  (jfhce 
in  hand.  As  guest  of  honour  at  the  table  sat  the  Sagamore  Mein- 
bertou,  deep-wrinkled  with  his  hundred  years,  but  still  a  warrior. 
On  the  floor  around  sat  other  Indian  guests,  with  squaws  and 
children,  waiting  for  biscuits,  and  watching  the  great  log  fire  roar 
up  the  capacious  chimney. 

Thus  well  fed,  well  housed,  well  cheered,  they  passed  the  winter 
in  health.  In  the  spring  a  water-mill  was  built,  fishing  and  farm- 
ing were  follcnved  up  with  zeal,  and  the  success  of  the  venture 
seemed  assured.  But  suddenly  came  disaster,  like  a  port  Royal 
bolt  from  a  clear  sky.  A  ship  from  St.  Malo  arrived  ai'^ndoned. 
with  word  that  de  Monts's  enemies  had  triumphed  over  him,  and 
had  got  the  King  to  take  away  his  charter.  Thus  deprived  of 
their  support,  there  was  nothing  for  the  colonists  to  do  but  give 
up  Port  Royal.  With  deep  discouragement,  and  amid  the  bitter 
lamentations  of  the  Indians,  they  sailed  for  France.  But  Poutrin- 
court,  as  Ir-  forsook  the  lovely  haven  framed  in  its  hills,  resolved 
that  he  would  return  at  a  later  day  with  his  whole  household,  and 
strike  deep  into  Acadian  soil  the  roots  of  his  home. 

12.    The  Jesuits   and  Biencourt  in  Acadie.  —  De  Monts  now 
lost  interest  in  Acadie,  and  set  himself  to  the  quest  of  the  north- 
west passage.     Champlain  went  north  to  found  Quebec  and  to 
write  his  name  in  characters  of  heroic  achievement  De  Monts  re- 
all  over  the  St.  Lawrence  valley.     Thither  we  shall   to^Poutr^*^-*^ 
presently   follow   him.      But    Poutrincourt    remained   *^°"'^^- 
taithful  to  Port  Royal.     In   1610  he  set  out  once  more  for  the 
place  of  his  desire.     This  time  he  took  with  him  a  zealous  priest, 
Father  La  Fleche.     Membertou  and  all  his  tribe  were  speedily 
converted.     So  ardent  a  proselyte  was  the  old  sagamore  that  he 
was  for  instant  war  against  all  the  tribes  who  had  not  a  ready  ear 
for  the  good  priest's  teachings.     In  the  following  year  (161 1) 


s^^pswmmmmm 


i9 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


The  Jesuits. 


Poutrincourt's  eighleen-year-okl  son,  best  known  to  our  history 
as  Biencourt,  set  sail  for  France  with  the  official  list  of  baptisms 
in  proof  of  his  flUher's  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen. 
When  he  reached  France  he  found  calamity.  The  strong  King, 
Henry  IV,  had  died  under  the  knife  of  the  assassin  Ravaillac  ; 
and  the  government  was  in  the  hands  of  the  corrupt  Queen,  Marie 
de  Medicis.  It  was  a  dark  hoir  for  the  lovers  of  France,  whether 
Catholic  or  Huguenot. 

But  when  patriotism  flagged,  religious  zeal  was  to  take  up  the 
work  in  Acadie.  Now  appeared  on  the  scene  the  mysterious, 
black-robed,  indomita])'^  figures  of  the  Jesuits,  des- 
tined to  leave  so  derj.  a  mark  on  Canada.  Magnifi- 
cent in  peril,  meddlesome  in  peace,  oft  dreaded  by  their  friends, 
but  extorting  the  admiration  of  their  enemies,  their  record  in  the 
counsels  of  Old  (Janada  is  one  of  ceaseless  quarrels  with  the 
civil  power;  but  thoir  record  among  the  savages  is  one  of  im- 
perishable glory.  Their  faith  was  a  white  and  living  flame,  that 
purged  out  all  thought  of  self.  Alone,  fearless,  not  to  be  turned 
aside,  they  pierced  to  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  wilderness. 
They  thrust  themselves  upon  the  savages,  they  endured  filth  and 
ignominy,  they  shrank  not  from  the  anguish  of  torture,  they  rejoiced 
in  the  cruelest  forms  of  death,  if  thereby  they  might  hope  to  save 
a  soul.  Whatever  blame  may  rightly  or  wrongly  attach  to  the 
institution  of  the  Jesuits,  it  has  shown  itself  able  to  breed  saints 
and  heroes. 

When  young  Biencourt  sailed  back  to  Port  Royal  with  succour, 
the  Jesuits,  represented  by  Father  Biard  and  Father  Enemond 
Masse,  went  with  him  as  partners  in  the  enterprise.  The  Queen 
and  many  ladies  of  the  court  had  opened  their  purses  to  help  on 
the  pious  work.  But  the  chief  patron  of  the  undertaking  was 
Madame  de  Guercheville,  a  lady-in-waiting  famed  no  less  for  her 
Madame  de  virtue  than  for  her  beauty.  She  bought  out  all  the 
Guercheville.  interests  in  the  venture  that  were  held  by  the  Hugue- 
not merchants  of  St.  Malo;  and  she  transferred  these  interests 
to  the  Jesuits.      Difficulties  soon  arose  in   Port  Royal   between 


1.11' 


II  ■! 


JESUIT  SETTLEMENT  AT  MOUXT  DESERT. 


29 


the  priests  and  Poutrincourt,  who  is  said  to  have  cried  to  thom 
once  in  exasperation,  "  Show  me  my  jiath  to  Heaven.  I  will  show 
you  yours  on  earth."  Presently  he  returned  to  strife  at  Port 
France,  leaving  Biencourt  in  charge.  'I'his  sagacious  **°y*'- 
and  energetic  youth,  who  had  been  made  vice-admiral  in  the 
waters  of  New  France,  spent  the  summer  in  enforcing  his  authority 
and  taking  tribute  from  the  ships  that  traded  on  his  coast.  Father 
Biard  toiled  carnesdy  to  learn  t'le  speech  of  the  Indians.  He 
lived  much  of  the  summer  in  their  huts,  striving  to  win  their  sym- 
pathies and  understand  their  hearts.  The  winter  was  one  of  de- 
pression, intensified  by  the  death  of  Membertou.  Toward  the 
end  of  January  came  a  ship  from  Poutrincourt.  Besides  supplies, 
which  by  this  time  were  sorely  needcni,  it  brought  a  lay-brother  of 
the  Jesuit  order,  sent  out  as  Madame  de  Guercheville's  agent. 
The  power  of  the  Jesuits  hid  mightily  expanded  since  Biencourt's 
departure  from  P' ranee,  for  Madame  de  Guercheville  had  obtained 
from  Louis  XHI  a  grant  of  nothing  less  than  the  whole  territory 
of  North  America,  from  Florida  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  Dutch 
trading-post  on  the  Hudson  with  the  little  English  settlements 
at  Jamestown  in  Virginia  and  at  Pemacjuid  in  Maine  (begun  in 
1607)  were  coolly  included  in  this  grant,  —  a  fact  of  which 
they  rested  in  happy  ignorance.  The  only  spot  not  embraced  in 
Madame  de  Guercheville's  grant  was  Poutrincourt's  little  domain 
at  Port  Royal,  secured  to  him  by  the  charter  of  Henry  IV.  A 
fierce  quarrel  broke  out  at  once  between  Biencourt  and  the 
Jesuits,  in  which  the  victory  rested  with  the  yotmg  vice-admiral. 
After  three  months,  however,  a  reconciliation  was  effected ;  and 
Father  Biard  wrote  home  to  France  a  letter  filled  with  Biencourt's 
praises. 

In  March  of  the  following  spring  (1613)  the  Jesuits  sent  out 
a  new  expedition  under  a  courtier  named  Saussaye.     The  ships 
touched  at  La  Heve,  and  erected  there  a  cross  bear-   xhe  Jesuit 
ing  the  scutcheon  of  Madame  de  Guercheville.     Stop-   SfMoSlft"* 
ping  at  Port  Royal  to  take  up  Biard  and  Masse,  they  ^^'^"^ 
continued  down  the  Atlantic  coast  till  they  reached  Mount  De- 


tj 


30 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Its  dcstruc 
tion  by 
Argall. 


scrt.     Here  ihey  set  themselves,  amid  much  bickering,  to  plmt 
a  new  colony  under  the  name  of  St.  Sauveur. 

IJiit  the  colony  was  not  destined  to  take  root.  The  bolt  which 
was  to  destroy  it  was  already  speeding  to  its  mark.  The  event 
which  shattered  Madame  de  Cluercheville's  enterprise  was  in 
itself  but  the  lawless  raid  of  a  freebooter;  but  it  is,  never- 
theless, an  event  of  historic  magnitude,  because  it  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  struggle  between  France  and  England  for  the 
possession  of  the  continent.  It  chanced  that  one  Samuel  Argall, 
from  the  English  colony  in  Virginia,  was  cruising  off  the  Maine 
coast  with  a  well-armed  ship.  When  he  heard  of  the  arrival  of 
the  French  his  wrath  was  greatly  kindled.  Such  an  infringement 
(•n  the  rights  of  his  sovereign  King  James,  who  claimed  even 
more  of  the  continent  than  did  Madame  ile  (iuerclioville,  was 
not  to  be  endured.  He  swept  down  on  St.  Sauveur, 
seized  the  stores,  turned  some  of  the  Frenchmen 
adrift  in  an  open  boat,  and  carried  off  all  the  rest, 
Biard  among  them,  to  a  mild  captivity  in  Virginia.  The  unfortu- 
nates whom  Argall  turned  adrift  woulil  surely  have  perished  but 
for  the  aid  of  some  commiserating  Indians.  They  worked  their 
way  northward  slowly  along  the  coast  till  at  last  they  met  a  trad- 
ing-vessel and  were  carried  back  to  Frrnce.  From  tiieir  com- 
rades who  were  taken  to  Virginia  (from  Biard  himself,  men  say), 
the  governor  of  Jamestown  heard  of  the  Bort  Royal  settlement. 
Just  as  France  claimed  all  North  America  by  virtue  of  Verraz- 
zano's  discoveries,  llngland  claimed  the  same  terriiorv  bv  virtue 
of  tiie  prior  discoveries  of  Cabot.  Port  Royal  and  Virgihia,  each 
was  in  the  other's  eyes  a  trespasser.  Argall,  therefore,  was  sent 
northward  to  eject  the  French  intruders.  He  found  Port  Royal 
defenceless.  J'iencourt  and  his  men  were  either  away  among 
the  Indians,  or  at  work  in  the    fields  up    river.     The    buildings 

were   pillaged    and    burneti,  and    even   the    standing 
Argall  de-  v      >s  »  & 

stroys  Port      crops'  were   barbarously   trodden    down.     After   this 
Royal  '  ... 

exploit  Argall  returned   to  Virginia  to  win   fame  by 

his  daring  and  wealth  by  his  knavery,  becoming  in  the  end  Sir 


;!! 


ENGL! SI/   (.  01. ONI/.A  TION. 


I« 


Samuel  Argall ;  and  the  unlia|ipy  colonists  at  Port  Royal  were 
it-'ji  to  .■»ui)pi»rt  tlu'nisclves  tliinDgh  the  winter  on  wild  roots  and 
the  hi),i|jitaiiiy  of  starvin;,'  Indians.  The  bravo  but  unlucky  Pou- 
trincourt  soon  afteiwar<!s  died  .i  M;)ldiei's  death  in  the  assaidt  on 
M(5rv,  a  small  town  in.  Iiis  nr.tive  Fram-c.  Hut  his  indomitable 
son,  the  yoimg  vice  adu\u'al,  r  ung  to  his  Acaiiian  di'main,  where 
he  hunte<l,  fisiicd,  traded,  aiid  eventtially  in  part  re'.iiilt  Port 
R(<yal.  Aniong  his  c.)iiip.ii)>ons  in  this  adventurou:>  life  was  a 
Huguenot  gentleman,  (ih.inca  de  la  M'oiir,  ilestiucd  to  piay  a  not- 
able part  in  our  storv. 

13.    English  Colonization.     KTewfoundland  and  Hudson  Bay. — 
I.)uring  the  period  just  described  tlie   llnghsh  were  gaining  firm 

foothold  in  Virginia  ;  *   but  in    more  th.ui  a  quarter   ^     ^ 

'^  ^  The  CoMLpp- 

of  a  rentury  after  the  failure  oi  Sir  Humiiiirey  CliI-   tionbay 

colony. 
belt's  expedition   their  eyes  were  turned  away  from 

the  stormier  north.  Their  li.^hermcn  llu'  ked  to  the  cod-waters 
of  Newfoundland,  bur  not  mure  diligenUv  than  the  fishermen  of 
France,  Spain,  and  Portugal,  over  whom  tliey  domineered  in  the 
harbours  and  on  the  curing-grounds.  In  rOio,  however,  the 
"Company  of  London  and  Bristol  Adventurers  and  Planters" 
was  organized,  with  the  illustrious  Bacon  on  its  roll  of  member- 
ship. This  company  undertook  to  plant  a  settlement  at  Concep- 
tion Bay,  in  Newfoundland.  One  John  Guy  was  at  the  head  of 
the  enterprise,  which,  though  promising  much  and  performing 
little,  nevertheless  was  not  utterly  a  failure.  Guy  and  most  of 
his  followers  went  home,  but  a  handful  remained  and  became 
a  fixed  nucleus  for  the  flourishing  fisheries. 

Then  began  the  rtile  of  the  "  Fishing  Admirals,"  who,  under 
commission  from  the  Admiralty,  governed  the  island  from  their 
vessels'    decks   in    a    rough-and-ready   fashion,   and  The  fishing 
wielded   sharp   sway  over   the  turbulent   spirits  who  ^d™"'*'^. 


1  Raleigh's  attempted  colony  on  Roanoke  Island,  Virginia,  was  beg-in  in  1585. 
It  failed  utterly.  The  first  pirmanent  English  settlement  in  America  as  that  of 
the  Virginia  Company,  in  which  Captain  John  Smith  was  the  ruli'  'jirit  and 
Pocahontas  the  romantic  figure. 


ss 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


ii; 


more '8  settle 
ment  at 
Avalon. 


frequented  those  turbulent  seas.  The  most  noteworthy  of  the 
fishing  admirals  was  Captain  Richard  VVhitbourne,  sailor,  fighter, 
and  writer,  with  a  record  for  heroism  in  the  wars  against  Spain. 
For  forty  years,  off  and  on,  he  traded  to  the  Newfoundland 
coast ;  and  on  his  retirement  he  wrote  a  book  in  praise  of  the 
island  he  loved.  'Ihis  work,  "  A  Discourse  and  Discovery  of 
Newfoundland,"  stirred  up  a  warm  interest  in  Great  Britain,  and 
was  distributed  throughout  the  kingdom  by  the  order  of  King 
James. 

In  1623  the  settlement  of  Newfoundland  was  undertaken  by 
Lord  Baltimore,  on  a  larger  scale  and  with  finer  foresight  than 
LordBaiti  before.  Resettled  on  the  southern  peninsula,  which 
he  named  Avalon,  spent  a  great  sum  of  money  on  the 
venture,  built  himself  a  stately  house  at  his  village  of 
Verulam,  and  dwelt  there  with  his  family,  a  true  settler,  for  many 
years.  At  length,  discouraged  by  the  harsh  soil  of  that  district 
and  by  the  frequent  attacks  of  the  French,  Lord  Baltimore  for- 
sook the  island.  But  his  influence  lingered  behind  him  in  the 
shape  of  an  increased  population  ;  and  his  village  of  Verulam, 
surviving  through  many  vicissitudes,  remains  to  us  to-day  under 
the  corrupted  name  of  Ferryland. 

To  the  time  when  the  "  London  and  Bristol  adventurers  "  were 
trying  to  colonize  Newfoundland  belong  the  exploits  of  Henry 
Hudson.  This  brave  and  ill-fated  navigator  in  16 10 
ascended  the  great  river  which  bears  his  name.  He 
was  then  in  the  employ  of  the  Dutch,  who,  stirred  up  by  his 
reports,  began  presently  to  occupy,  by  trade  and  settlement,  the 
region  which  was  later  to  be  called  New  York.  The  Dutchmen 
called  it  all  New  Netherlands.  Reentering  the  service  of  Em 
land,  Hudson  pushed  northward  with  one  ship,  whose  pi<"ti  i 

name,  the  Half-Moon,   lingers   in   one's   fancy.     At   i  he 

found    his  way  through  a  stormy  strait   into   a  vast  si       arctic 
inland  sea.     In  the  rock-bound   desolation  of  these  waters   h 
wintered,  hoping  in  the  opening  up  of  spring  to  find  a  westward 
passage.     But  his  crew,  terrified  out  of  their  manhood   by  the 


Henry  Hud- 
son. 


cold  and 
cowards  t 
upon  thoj 
comrades, 
mutineers 
soon  as  p 
their  err.in 
great  wale 
uates  his  fi 


\     M. 


Il 


l/EXKY  HUDSON. 


33 


cold  and  solitude,  rose  up  in  nnitiny.  With  the  baseness  of 
cowards  they  turned  their  t  oinuintulcr  adrift  in  an  open  l)oat 
upon  those  pitiless  waters.  His  son,  and  two  of  his  faithful 
comrades,  shared  his  t'.ite.  On  their  return  to  Kngland  the 
mutineers  were  seized  and  punished  for  thtir  crime;  and  as 
soon  as  possible  three  ships  were  sent  out  to  the  rescue.  IJut 
their  errand  proved  fruitless.  Hudson  had  found  a  grave  in  the 
great  waters  which  he  had  discovered  and  whose  name  perpet- 
uates his  fume. 


D 


1 


CHAPTER    TIL 


SECTIONS: — 14,  Champlain  at  QiiEUtc:.  15.  Cha.mpi.ain  r;x- 
ploftks  the  ottawa.  l6,  the  expedition  to  the  huron 
Country.  17,  the  Lordship  of  Canada  passes  prom  Havd 
TO  Hand.  18,  First  Capture  ok  (^i;ebec  bv  the  ExfiLisH. 
Champi.ain's  Last  Days. 


14.  Champlain  at  Quebec. —  W'e  must  now  go  back  a  few  years, 
in  order  to  follow  the  fortune.s  of  Champlain.  As  we  have  seen, 
The  tounding  he  had  left  Port  Royal  to  Poulrincotirt.  In  r6o8  a 
cfgufbec.  ^^^,^y  settleniciit  was  y)Iarine(i  on  the  St.  Lawrence, 
under  the  [tatronage  of  the  much  harassc'l  de  Monts,  who  had 
so  (ixr  triuinphed  over  his  enemies  as  to  secure  a  renewal  of  his 
charter.  It  was  now  proposed  to  make  the  profits  of  the  fur- 
trade  pay  the  expenses  of  colonization  ;  and  along  with  Cham- 
plain, the  explorer  and  colonizer,  went  Pontgrav^,  the  experienced 
trader,  Stalacona  had  vanished  ;  but  at  the  foot  of  the  towering 
rock  whereon  it  had  stood  Champlain  laid  the  foundations  of 
Quebec.  These  consisted  of  a  few  rude  buildings  in  the  form 
of  an  open  square.  In  the  midiUe  of  the  square  rose  a  (dovecote 
on  the  top  oi"  a  ptjie,  fitly  symbolizing  (Jhampldn's  peaceful  pur- 
pose. A  wooden  wa!!  and  a  ditch,  with  bastions  and  guns,  sur- 
rounded the  grou]'  of  dwellings.  Hardly  was  the  work  of  building 
done  when  a  dangerous  conspiracy  was  discoverevl,  Champlain 
w.  .  to  he  murdered  ;  and  vlie  infant  colonv  was  to  be  h.inded 
cvv  to  the  unlicensed  fur-traders,  who  hated  his  restrictions  on 
their  traffic.  The  plot  he  handled  with  rude  vigour.  The  chief 
conspirator  was  hung  ;  four  of  his  fellows,  sent  in  chains  to  France, 

34 


1  Then  knowi 


1     **. 


CHAMPLAIN'S  INDIAN  POLICY  AT  QUEBEC. 


35 


were  condemned  to  the  galleys  ;  and  the  rest  learned  a  wholesome 

lesson. 

During   the   winter   Champlain   met   some    Indians   from    tiie 

Ottawa  country,  who  imi>lored  '•  the  man  with  the  iron  breast,"  as 

they  called  him,  to  help  them  against  the  dreaded 

•^  I  Champlain 

Iroquois.     Eager  to  explore  the  country,  and  anxious  ukesupthe 

'  "  ^  .  quarrel  of  the 

to  strengthen  his  influence  with  his  wild  allies,  Cham-   Aigonqums 

and  Hurons 

plain  lent  a  ready  ear  to  their  request.     It  is  common  against  the 

,  ,  .  •       .  •  ,  1  1  ■  -1      Iroquois. 

to  condemn  his  course  in  this,  and  to  charge  hub  with 
all  the  bloodshed  which  Iroquois  hate  was  afterwards  to  inflict 
upon  New  France.  But  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  devas- 
tated sites  of  Stada,cona  and  Hochelaga  bore  eloquent  witness  to 
the  feud,  long-standing  and  implacable,  which  divided  tlie  Iro- 
quois on  the  one  side  from  the  Algonquins  and  their  kindred  on 
the  other.  The  Hurons,  indeed,  who  occupied  Hochelaga,  were 
related  to  the  Iroquois  ;  but  the  destiny  of  the  wilderness  had 
linked  their  interests  and  their  fate  with  the  Algonquins.  As  the 
French  dwelt  among  these  latter  as  friends,  they  would  sooner  or 
later  have  found  themselves  within  the  eye  of  Iroquois  vengeance. 
Had  they  tried  to  remain  neutral,  their  neutrality  would  never 
have  turned  aside  the  Mohawk  hatchets.  It  would  have  forfeited 
the  trust  of  their  friends  without  conciliating  their  inevitable  foes. 
But  the  policy  adopted  by  Champlain  was  one  which  required  a 
strong  hand  to  carry  it  out.  If  the  strong  hand  had  not  so  often 
in  later  days  been  lacking,  what  blood  and  tears  New  France 
might  have  been  spared  ! 

The  Iroquois  country  lay  southwestward  from  Quelx  c,  in  what 
is  now  northern  New  York ;  but  the  circle  of  their  infliienre  was 
far  wider  than  their  own  domain,  while  the  terror  of  h«  chastises 
their  name  touched  savage  hearts  from  the  prairies  ^^^ ''^°<i"'''*- 
of  the  Mississippi  to  the  fringes  of  the  arctic  barrens.  In  the 
spring  of  1609  Champlain  took  a  handful  of  his  l-'renchinen,  and 
accompanied  a  band  of  Hu-^ns  and  Algonquins  up  the  Richelieu.* 


1  Tlien  known  as  the  river  of  the  Iroquois,  it  being  their  highway  to  the  north. 


wjwiWHiMi-umg'Ji'um'i  II  Mjiniii 


yl  mSTORy  OF  CANADA. 


i  I. 


i:i- 


H 


IS     ».. 


Chatiiplaia 
hears  the 
story  of  the 
impostor 
Vignan. 


He  traversed  the  richly  islanded  lake  which  now  bears  his  name, 
and  fell  suddenly  upon  a  war-party  of  the  Mohawks.  The  Mohawks 
numbered  about  200,  while  in  Champlain's  band  there  were  but  60. 
The  scorn  of  the  Iroquois  for  their  oft-conquered  foes  dissolved  in 
terror  before  a  volley  from  the  Frenchmen's  muskets.  Then  this 
haughty  j^eople  tasted  the  ignominy  of  a  panic  which  long  after- 
wards rankled  in  their  breasts.  Their  town  was  blotted  out ;  and 
the  elated  victor.s  hastily  fell  back  across  the  St.  Lawrence. 

15.  Champlain  explores  the  Ottawa.  —  In  explorations,  in 
attacks  upon  the  Iroquois,  and  in  the  ceaseless  struggle  to  protect 
his  colony  against  the  encroachments  of  the  fur- 
traders,  (Jhamplain  found  the  next  three  )ears  well 
occupied.  The  control  of  the  colonial  purse-strings 
rested  in  Prance  ;  and  as  this  control  passed  rapidly 
from  one  distinguished  hand  to  another,  Champlain  was  often 
called  home.  During  one  of  these  visits  he  took  to  himself  a  wife, 
—  whose  name  survives  in  "Helen's  Island,"  in  the  St.  Lawrence 
opposite  Montreal.  In  1613  Champlain's  fancy  was  inflamed  by 
the  ingenious  lies  of  a  certain  Nicolas  Vignan,  who  had  s])ent  a 
winter  among  the  tribes  of  the  upper  Ottawa.  Vignan  narrated  to 
adiiiiring  ears  a  tale  of  how  he  had  traced  the  Ottawa  to  its  source 
in  a  great  lake,  had  discovered  another  river  flowing  northward 
from  the  lake,  and  had  come  out  at  length  upon  an  unknown  sea. 
"  Surely,"  cried  the  willing  believers,  "  the  passage  to  Cathay  is 
discovered  !  "  and  great  renown  for  a  little  while  was  Vignan's. 

U'ith  Vignan  and  three  followers,  in  two  canoes  of  bircli  bark, 

Champlain  set  forth  to  verify  the  tale.     He  ])a(Mled  out  of  the 

clear  water  of  die  St.  Lawrence  into  the  dark  current 

of  the  Ottawa,  deep-dyed  with   the  juices   of  its  fir 

and    iicmlock   forests.      The   voyagers    carried    their 

canoes  aromid  the  fierce  rapids  that  barred  their  way. 

Thev  stared  with  awe  into  the  thundering  caldron  of 

Chaudiere,  where  now  the  saw-mills  of  Ottawa  shriek 

and  hiss.     This  strange  cataract  was  regarded  with  awe  by  the 

Indians,  who  would  cast  into  the  gulf  tobacco  or  otlier  offerings 


He  sets  out 
with  Vignan 
to  find  the 
passage  to 
Cathay,  and 
discovers 
that  he  has 
been  duped. 


i? 


CHAMPLAIN  EXPLORES    THE    OTTAWA. 


37 


to  appease  the  angry  manitou  of  the  waters.  At  last,  coming  to 
Alluinette  Island,  they  were  welcomed  by  a  tribe  of  friendly  Al- 
gonquins ;  and  there  the  impostor  Vignan  was  convicted  of  his 
lie.'  Champlain  was  for  a  time  overwhelmed  by  the  shock  of 
his  rage  and  chagrin ;  but  with  the  generosity  of  a  great  soul  he 
finally  let  the  liar  go  unpunished,  and  returned  to  Quebec  witli 
his  bitter  disappointment.  While  Champlain  was  thus  cutting  his 
trail  into  the  very  heart  of  the  continent,  and  resting  fearlessly  in 
the  red  men's  wigwams,  England  had  but  a  few  settlers  clinging 
to  the  Virginia  coast,  with  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  await- 
ing them  if  they  stirred  beyond  the  shadow  of  their  walls. 

Hitherto  the  Quebec  settlement  had  done  nothing  for  the 
spread  of  the  faith ;  but  now  Champlain  brought  out  to  Canada 
four  priests  of  the  Order  of  the  R^collets,  devout  men  pledged 
to   poverty  and   inured    to   self-denial    (1615).     To 

them  was  committed  the  conversion  of  the  savages,  come  to 

Canada, 
and  the  spiritual  care  of  the  colony.     Their  record, 

though  less  brilliant  than  that  of  the  Jesuits,  shows  great  work 
quietly  done.  They  were  the  first  of  Europeans  to  pierce  the 
wilderness  lying  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 
Within  five  years  of  their  coming  we  find  their  sandalled  feet  on 
the  Nepisiquit  and  on  the  St.  John,  at  Cape  Sable  and  at  Port 
Royal.  When  Champlain  made  his  expedition  to  the  Huron 
country,  the  R^collet  Father  le  Caron  went  ahead  of  him  in  his 
zeal,  and  was  thus  the  first  to  carry  the  cross  to  the  tribes  of  the 
Groat  Lakes. 

16.    The  Expedition  to  the  Huron  Country.  — Champlain's  path 
into  the  Huron  country  was  somewhat  roundabout.     With  a  hand- 
ful of  followers,  among  them  the  bold  pioneer,  Etienne  champlain 
Bruld,  he  ascended  the  Ottawa,  crossed  over  to  Lake  Su^ronwun- 
Nipissing,    followed   the  course  of  French  River  to  *'^^' 
Georgian   Bay,  coasted  along  the   rugged   and   myriad -islanded 
shores  to  Matchedash  Bay,  and  reached  at  last  a  fruitful,  rolling 

1  It  is  conceivable  that  Vignan  may  have  heard  of  the  mute  to  James  Bay,  by 
portitge  over  the  height  of  land  and  paddle  down  the  Moose  River.  This  would 
uerve  us  ;i  basis  for  his  inventions. 


t"Ti'd»jl 


38 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


*•  • ! 


i     i 


'|i 


country.  A  broad  trail  led  him  to  the  several  Huron  towns, 
anil  finally  to  the  Huron  metropolis,  Carhagouha,  with  its  swarm 
of  long  lodges  and  its  lofty  palisades.  Here  Father  le  Caron 
awaited  hiin  ;  and  here,  on  the  12th  of  August,  was  held  a  glad 
service  of  thanksgiving.  The  mission  to  the  Hurons  was  begun. 
The  travellers  were  enchanted  with  the  land  which  they  had 
reached  through  so  many  obstacles.  The  fields  were  gay  with 
the  harvest  of  sim-flowers,  maize,  and  pumpi<ins;  the  thickets 
were  prodigal  with  fniiis  and  nuts ;  the  air  was  filled  with  grateful 
warmth  and  had  a  tonic  vigour. 

Chainplain  was  pie  Iged  to  aid  his  allies  in  an  invasion  of  the 
Iroquois  land.  In  September  the  war-party  set  out  from  Car- 
The  Iroquois  hagoulia.  By  way  of  the  channel  of  the  Trent  they 
land  invaded,  f^^scended  to  Lake  Ontario,  which  they  crossed  not 
far  from  its  outlet.  Hiding  their  canoes,  they  filed  noiselessly 
through  the  deep  woods,  aglow  with  the  splendours  of  autumn. 
At  length  they  saw  before  them  a  well- fenced  town,  of  the  Onon- 
dagas.  In  spite  of  (.hamplain's  angry  protests  the  rabble  of 
young  braves  rushed  yelling  to  the  attack,  only  to  be  beaten  back 
with  loss.  Much  crestfallen,  they  returned  to  Champlain.  The 
town  was  defended  by  a  fourfold  palisade,  with  brimming  gutters 
along  the  top  to  quench  the  firebrands  of  the  enemy.  Champlain 
taught  his  allies  to  build  a  movable  covered  tower  from  which  he 
and  his  musketeers  might  shoot  over  the  wall ;  and  he  taught 
them  also  to  protect  themselves  from  the  Iroquois  arrows  by 
mantelets,  —  wide  shields  of  wicker-work  and  skins.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  tower  was  pushed  in  place  and  the  attack  began. 
I'he  French  muskets  wrought  havoc  within  the  walls ;  but  the 
hordes  of  ungovernable  savages,  casting  Champlain's  teaching  to 
the  winds,  flung  away  their  mantelets  and  shot  their  arrows  wildly 
in  the  open.  Amid  the  hideous  yelling  of  the  warriors  Cham- 
plain could  not  make  himself  heard.  He  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh  and  in  the  knee.  The  Hurons,  swarming  in  boldly  under  a 
sh(iwpr  of  missiles,  succeeded  in  setting  tire  to  the  palisades,  but 
a  fl(jod  from  the  gutters  above  extmguished  it.     At  length,  after 


f 


EXrF.DITION   TO    THF.    HURO.V  COUNTRY. 


39 


three  hours  of  great  noise  and  little  arconiplishment,  they  drew 

off  quite  disheartened.     They  decided  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of 

five  hundred  Eries,  who  had  promised  to  aid  them  in 

'^  Repulse  and 

thi.'ir  enterprise.     But  after  five  days  of  vain  waiting   retreat  of  the 

they  grew  tired ;  and  all  at  once  they  stole  off  like 
shadows,  carrying  with  them  in  a  pannier  the  wounded  and  humil- 
iated Champlain.  They  had  lost  faith  in  their  "  man  with  the  iron 
breast."  Reaching  the  shores  of  the  great  lake,  they  found  their 
canoes  untouched,  and  made  undignified  haste  to  cross  to  their 
own  shore. 

The  Hurons  had  sworn  solemnly  to  Cliamplain  that  after  the 
attack  on  the  Iroquois  they  would  carry  him  down  the  St.  Lawrence 
to  Mount  Royal ;  but  now  they  shamelessly  broke  faith  with  him. 
Their  excuses  were  numerous.  The  lateness  of  the  season,  the 
approach  of  the  autumn  hunting,  and  above  all  the  champiain 
awakened  watchfulness  of  the  Iroquois,  who  ranged  I^ong\he 
the  southern  shore, —  all  these  served  well  enough,  hurons. 
Champlain  was  compelled  to  go  back  with  them  and  winter  among 
the  Huron  lodges,  where  he  was  hospitably  cared  for  by  a  chief 
named  Durantal.  With  Father  le  Caron  he  visited  the  allied 
tribes  further  west,  and  thus  occupied  his  restless  spirit.  In  the 
spring,  after  patching  up  a  quarrel  which  had  arisen  between  the 
Hurons  and  Algonquins  (a  tribe  of  whom,  from  the  upper 
Ottawa,  had  camped  by  the  palisades  of  C'arhagouha),  he  re- 
traced his  steps  by  Georgian  Ray  and  the  Ottawa  to  Quebec, 
where  he  was  welcomed  as  one  risen  from  the  dead. 

17.  The  Lordship  of  Canada  passes  from  Hand  to  Hand.  —  The 
purse-strings  of  Canada  were  now  controlled  by  the  Associated 
Merchants  of  St.  Malo  and  Rouen,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Prince  de  Cond^,  This  nobleman  cared  for  his  Canadian  power 
and  privilege  so  far  only  as  they  could  be  made  to  The  mer- 
serve  his  pocket.  The  Associated  Merchants  grew  tlie'toCharn- 
eager  to  remove  Champlain  from  his  command.  The  p'**°* 
good  traders  found  him  very  troublesome.  Their  only  desire 
was  to  trade ;    but  Champlain  would  not  suffer  them  to  forget 


mm 


mmm 


mmm 


in 


:l 


40 


.-/    IflSTOkY   OF  CAAADA. 


I 


that  they  were  [fledged  to  establish  a  colony  and  c■.hristiani:^e  the 
savages.  They  harassed  him  with  their  intrigues,  even  as  he 
harassed  them  with  his  untiring  reminders  of  their  duty.  In 
1 61 7  a  certain  apothecary  named  Louis  H<ibert,  who  had  been 
with  the  dauntless  Biencourt  at  Port  Royal,  took  his  wife  and 
two  children  to  Quebec,  and  won  for  his  family  the  memorable 
distinction  of  being  the  pioneer  household  of  Canada.  Two 
years  later  Champlain  got  a  body  of  eighty  colonists  sent  out 
from  France.  In  1620  he  brought  his  own  family  to  Quel)ec, 
wliere  his  wife,  a  woman  of  beauty  and  enthusiasm,  threw  her- 
self ardently  into  the  task  of  converting  the  women  and  children 
of  the  savages. 

Quebec  was  just  now  at  a  rather  low  ebb  morally,  thanks  to 
the  greed  and  recklessness  of  the  fur- traders,  who  corrupted  the 
Abuses  of  the  savages  body  and  soul  with  brandy.  The  savages 
fur-trade.  appeared  to  have  an  inborn  craving  for  alcohol ;  and 
once  having  tasted  it  they  would  barter  the  most  costly  skins  for 
a  few  mouthfuls  of  the  delirious  fluid.  Against  such  iniquities 
Champlain  set  his  face  like  flint ;  and  fiercely  did  the  fur-traders 
hate  him  when  they  found  him  in  the  path  of  their  evil  traffic. 

In  a  short  time  the  Associated  Merchants  lost  their  privileges 
for  failure  to  fulfil  their  pledges.  Their  monopoly  was  handed 
Quarrels  over  to  Guillaume  and  Emery  de  Caen,  two  Huguenot 

Catholic  and  gentlemen,  on  condition  that  they  should  settle  none 
Huguinot.  Ijjjj.  Roman  Catholics  in  the  colony.  'I'he  peace  of 
the  little  settlement  was  not  promoted  by  this  change,  and  noisy 
W'jre  the  disputes  between  Catholic  settler  and  Huguenot  sailor, 
as  well  as  between  the  old  and  new  monopolists.  Champlain  had 
need  of  all  his  vigour  and  all  his  fortitude.  He  was  sorely  tempted 
at  times  to  throw  up  his  high  ambitions,  and  leave  his  rapacious 
charges  to  prey  upon  the  savages  and  each  other. 

To  his  perplexities  was  presently  added  a  new  peril.  A  band 
of  Iroquois  crept  down  upon  Quebec,  vowing  to  blot  it  out  in 
blood  ;  but  daunted  by  the  Frenchmen's  muskets  they  thought  bet- 
ter of  their  purpose,  and  withdrew.    They  then  swarmed  like  hor- 


THE  JESUITS   COME    TO    QUEBEC. 


41 


nets  upon  the  stone  convent  of  the  R^collets,  on  the  St.  Charles ; 
but  here  too  their  courage  soon  failed  them,  for  the  sagacious 
fathers  were  well  armed  and  safely  fortified.  The  in-  iroquoisin- 
v.iders  contented  themselves  with  burning  two  Huron  Atgonquiif 
prisoners  before  the  eyes  of  the  horrified  priests,  and  treachery. 
tlien  vanished  to  their  own  land.  The  hostility  of  the  Iroquois 
was  only  what  Champlain  had  looked  fo;.  But  a  short  time  after- 
wards he  was  cut  to  the  quick  by  treachery  among  the  Montagnais 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  an  Algonquin  tribe  whom  he  had  befriend ed» 
and  fought  for,  and  fed  from  his  own  too  scanty  stores.  A  band 
of  these  fickle  savages  conspired  to  seize  Quebec  and  murder  their 
benefactors.  Champlain  crushed  the  feeble  plot  with  case ;  and 
the  abashed  conspirators  were  soon  suing  piteously  for  his  favour 
and  his  gifts.  These  perils  happily  past,  Champlain  took  his  young 
wife  back  to  France.  She  had  had  five  years  of  Quebec,  and  her 
taste  for  colonizing  was  somewhat  more  than  satisfied. 

The  patronage  of  Canada  now  again  changed  hands.     It  was 
purchased   by  a  religious   enthusiast,   the   Duke  de  Ventadour. 

Champlain  remained  a  year  or  two  in  France,  leaving 

'  ^  '  o    The  Jesuits 

Emerv  de  Caen  in  command  of  the  colony.     De  Ven-   come  to 

Quebec, 
tadour  cared  neither  for  trade  nor  settlement.     His  one 

concern  was  to  save  souls.     To  this  end  he  sent  out  three  Jesuit 

priests.  Fathers  Lalemant,  Masse,  and  Brt^boeuf.     Masse  we  have 

seen  in  Acadie,  fourteen  years  before.     Their  coming  was  little  to 

the  taste  of  the  hardy  Huguenot,  de  Caen ;    but  the  R^collets 

made  them  welcome  in  their  convc;nt  on  the  St.  Charles.      A 

year  later  came  Fathers  Noirot   and    de   la  Noue ;    and  before 

long  the  Jesuits  had  a  convent  of  their  own.     Father  Br^boeuf 

set  out   for  the  Huron  country;    but  hearing  that  the  Hurons 

had  just  put  their  R^collet  priest  to  death,'  his  heart  failed  him 

and  he  turned  back.     The  heroic  zeal  which  was  afterwards  to 

cover  his  name  with  glory  had  not  yet  been  fanned  into  flame. 

When  Champlain  at  length  returned  to  Quebec,  the  colony  had 

1  This  was  Father  Nicholas  Viel,  whom  the  savages  drowned  in  the  rapid 
behind  Montreal,  thence  known  as  the  Sault  au  R^coUet. 


'»^*"  ■^•'■•^(WC] 


i 

\l 

,  i 

43 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA, 


\ 

1  , 

\y\ 

1  i 

^ 

j 

,^ 


been  nearly  twenty  years  in  existence.  It  consisted  of  one  hun- 
dred and  five  persons  in  the  main  settlement,  together  with  an  oiit- 
Proeressof  P<^^t  ^^  Cape  Tounnente,  and  small  trading  staticjns 
<?uebec.  .^^  Fadousac  and  I'hree  Rivers.     The  trade  monopoly 

of  the  de  Caens  proved  no  more  ])eneficial  to  the  colony  than  that 
of  the  .Associated  Merchants  ;  but  it  resulted  in  a  huge  slaugh- 
ter of  beavers.  In  one.  year  twenty-two  thousand  beaver  skins 
were  sent  over  from  the  .  t.  Lawrence  to  France. 

In  the  meantime,  under  very  different  auspices  and  of  very  dif- 
ferent material,  an  English  colcjiiy  was  taking  root  on  the  bleak 
shores  of  Massachusetts.  Wliile  Champlain,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
te IK  ling  and  watering  with  anxious  care  the  growth  of  Iiis  feeble 

colony,  the  I'ilgrim  Fathers  were  landing  from  the 
Quebec  and  , 

Massachu-       Mayjlower  (1620).      From   the  shivering   group    of 

stern-eyed  exiles  on  the  rocks  of  Plymouth  Bay  was 
to  grow  the  destined  rival  of  Quebec.  Rivals  they  were,  Quebec 
and  Massachusetts,  as  different  in  their  growth  as  in  their  origin. 
The  one  the  child  of  Absolutism,  the  other  of  Revolt :  the  one 
shaped  by  the  Priest,  the  other  Ijy  the  Puritan ;  the  one  nourished 
on  interference,  the  other  on  neglect. 

And  now  Richelieu,  the  crafty  and  masterful,  having  made  the 
monarchy  supreme  in  France  and  himself  the  resistless  power 
behind  the  throne,  turned  his  keen  eyes  on  Canada  and  saw 
the  evils  with  which  Champlain  was  wrestling.  He  strengthened 
Champlain's  hands.  He  abolished  the  monopoly  of 
the  de  Caens.  He  organized  what  is  known  as  the 
"  New  Company  of  the  Hundred  Associates,"  with 
himself  at  its  head.  The  vice-regai  authority  of  de 
Ventadour  came  to  an  end,  and  again  a  new  power  was  felt  shap- 
ing the  destiny  of  Canada.  The  charter  of  Richelieu's  company 
gave  it  possession  of  all  New  France  (Canada,  Acadie,  Newfound- 
land, and  Florida),  on  the  simple  tenure  of  fealty  and  homage.' 


The  great 
Ricbelieu 
takes  up  the 
cause  of 
Canada. 


1  Tliis  consisted  in  swearing  allegiance  to  the  King,  and  promising  military 
service  when  required.  Tribute,  in  the  form  of  a  crown  of  gold,  was  to  be  given 
by  the  colony  to  each  successive  occupant  of  the  Throne  of  France. 


^ !  i ! 


FIRST  CAPTURE   OF  QUEBEC  BY  ENGLISH. 


43 


Religious  discord  was  abolished  by  the  decree  that  New  France 
should  be  all  Ronuui  Catholic.  No  Huguenot  was  to  set  foot  on 
its  soil.  The  conii)iny  was  bound  under  [)enalty  to  send  out  three 
hundred  colonists  in  its  first  year  (1628),  and  to  increase  the 
number  to  six  thousand  within  the  next  fifteen  years.  It  was 
given  a  perpetual  monopoly  of  the  fur-trade,  with  a  monopoly  for 
fifteen  years  of  all  other  trade  but  that  of  the  whale  and  cod  fish- 
eries. Further,  as  a  personal  gift  from  the  King,  it  received  two 
well  armed  battle  ships.  Champlain  was  made  one  of  the  Associ- 
ates, and  confirmed  in  his  command  of  Quebec. 

18.  First  Capture  of  Quebec  by  the  English.  Champlain's 
Last  Days.  —  While  such  matters  were  being  arranged  in  France, 
Quebec,  the  cause  of  argument,  was  starving  (1628).     Champlain 

had  put  the  colonv  on  short  allowance,  and  was  strain-  „. 

^  '  Kirke  sum- 

ina  his  eyes  for  the  sails  of  expected  succour.     De  mons  Quebec 

,        ,       ^     ■'       ,  ,      ,    ,    ,  to  surrender. 

Roquemont,  sent  out  by  the  New  Company,  had  left 

Dieppe  for  Quebec  with  a  fleet  of  eighteen  vessels,  heavily  laden. 
IJut  war,  meanwhile,  had  been  declared  between  France  and  Eng- 
land ;  and  an  English  fleet,  under  Admiral  Kirke,  was  steering  for 
the  same  destination.  Kirke  was  the  first  to  arrive.  Anchoring 
at  Tadousac,  he  sent  a  boat  up  to  (Quebec  and  made  courteous 
demand  for  surrender.  With  dismay  the  high-hearted  "  Father 
of  Canada"  surveyed  his  starving  garrison,  his  empty  ammunition 
room,  his  ill-built  ramparts  crumbling  under  the  weather.  But 
to  the  enemy  he  turned  a  fearless  front.  Sending  word  that  he 
would  abide  the  issue  of  combat,  he  assured  the  English  admiral 
that  Quei)ec  would  not  prove  an  easy  prey. 

Deceived  by  this  show  of  confidence  Kirke  with-   He  retires  on 
drew.     But  fate  was  in  his  favour.     (  ff  Gasp(5  he  met  defl^t'Sfu- 
de  Roquemont's  fleet,  which  he  captured  after  a  hot  ***• 
struggle.      He  j.,ained  rich  booty,  and  the  hope  of  Quebec  was 
shattered. 

The  misery  cf  the  colony  grew  deeper  as  the  months  dragged 
on.  Champlain  set  his  people  digging  wild  roots  in  the  woods. 
He  sent  out  a  boat  to  scour  the  Gaspti  coast  for  a  friendly  trader. 


■WPWWiP 


'H^ 


i   '}'■• 


li  I 


;    1 


i 


1    , 

t 


44 


A   J/ISTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


In  the  following  year  he  even  thought  of  the  desperate  expedient 

ot  abandoning  (Quebec,  marching  into  the  Iroquois  c:oiuitry,  and 

seizing  one  of  those  palisadttl  towns,  wherein,  as  he 
He  comes  " 

agciinin  well  kntMv,  lie  might  count  on  finding  an  abundant 

fyrce;  ami  •■  ,  ,         ,  ,  .  .     , 

Quebecpasses   siore  ot  '"om.     JJut  ere  he  could  make  up  his  muid 

i"^"    *'!'■'  1  r--      1  1  r,„  ,.  II,, 

hanusof  to  such  a  step,  kirke  returned.      Ihe  fort  which  had 

last  year  dclled  liiin  now  hailed  him  as  a  deliverer. 
Joy  reigned  in  the  stan'ing  colony;  and  Champlain  at  once 
capitulated,  obtaining  honourable  terms  from  the  courteous  ad- 
miral. The  settlers  were  inviit.d  to  remain  on  their  little  hold- 
ings ;  and  the  flag  of  England,  for  the  first  time,  floated  over 
Quebec  (1629). 

Meanwhile  peace  had  been  proclait  led  at  the  Convention  of 
Sus.i,  and  Kirke's  action  was  therefore  unlawful.  There  was  little 
Peace  pro-  de.^irc  ill  France,  however,  to  press  for  the  restitution 
claimed.  ^^j-  (j-inada,  which  li.iil  fallen  under  the  shadow  of  royal 

disfavour.  But  Champlain  was  not  to  be  frowned  down.  He 
urged  upon  the  court  the  vast  imjx^rtance  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  the  necessity  of  curbing  the  growth  of  English  power.  We 
may  reasonably  suppose  that  he  foresaw  the  nature,  though  not 
the  issue,  of  the  struggle  which  had  already  begun  on  the  continent 
of  North  America.  At  length,  in  1632,  the  Treaty  of  St.  Germain- 
Canada  and  en  Laye  was  signed.  One  of  its  conditions  was  the 
restored  to  restoration  of  Canada  and  Acadie  t)  France.  This 
Prance.  condition  was  insisted  upon,  not  because  Canada  was 

tho'ight  to  be  if  salue  in  itself,  but  because  the  honour  of  France 
seemed  at  stak;3  ;  and  ;t  was  accepted  by  England  most  unwillingly. 

As  soon  as  the  treaty  was  signed,  Emery  de  Caen  was  sent  out 
to  Quel)ec  to  receive   the  fort    from    Kirke.      I'o   de  Caen   was 

granted  the  raonopolv  of  the  fur-tra  ie  for  one  year. 
Champlain  ,        ,  ,    ,  '  ,  .  ,f  r        1       1  11 

dies  governor  that  he  might  recompense  himselt  toi  the  losses  which 
of  Quebec. 

the  war  had  brought  upon  him.     In  the  following  year 

the  Hundred  Associates  again  took  control,  and  Champlain  became 
governor  of  Quebec.  .\nd  now  peace  reigned  at  the  foot  of  the 
great  promontory.     The  Huguenots  were  expelled,  tiie  RtJcollets 


CIIAMPI.AL\"S  r.lST  DAV.s. 


45 


Ii:ul  lemovcfl  to  other  fiekls,  and  life  in  (.'.iiiada  took  on  a  hue  of 
inonasiicism,  auslcie  but  not  ungracious.  (jiiel)e(:  existed,  as  it 
sccimd,  for  but  one  purpose,  the  conversion  ui  the  savages, 
\vh,i  wore  now  hired  in  by  kindness  instead  of  by  brandy.  'Die 
settlers,  some  of  whom  liad  letl  a  past  in  France  which  would  not 
be:ir  looking  into,  vied  with  each  othei  in  i^enitence  and  zeal. 
The  two  years  that  followed  were  the  bri,.;litest  which  Canada  harj 
yet  seen.  Champlain  was  now  sixty-ciyht  years  cf  age.  Me  was 
beginning  to  feel  that  his  labours  had  not  been  in  vain.  He  was 
beginning  to  see  that  the  tree  which  he  had  planted  with  zeal 
was  going  to  bear  good  fruit.  Amid  all  this  blessed  augury  he 
fell  sick  ;  and  on  Christmas  Day,  16.35,  ^^'■^  colony  of  which  he  is 
well  called  father  was  orphaned  of  his  wise  and  faithful  care. 


M 


viwaip 


'.     ! 


CIIAPTKR    IV. 


I    I 


;    I 
!   I 


ii 


» 


• 


I 


\ 


i 


!  t 


SECTIONS :  —  19,  THE  Scotch  in  Acaoie.    20,  the  df  i,a  Tours, 
Fathkk  and  Son.     21,  tiik  STRUCiOi.E  between  de  la  Touk  ani> 

ClIAKNISAY.       22,    I  Hi:    LaTTEK    DAYS   AND    DEATH   OF   CHAKNISAY. 
CMANGKS    in   UWNEKSHII'   OI"   ACAUIE. 

19.  The  Scotch  in  Acadie.  — Turning  ngain  to  Acadie,  we  find 
that  ihf  struggle  between  France  and  Knglind,  begun  by  Argall 
Sii  William  at  St.  Sauveur  and  I'ort  Royal,  continued  almost  with- 
^nd'Sov"  out  (:t;ssation.  'I"he  contest  took  on  at  times  — 
Scotia  though   alas,  not   often  —  the   jieacefiil   aspect   of  a 

mere  rivalry  in  endurance  and  colonizing  skill.  A  little  colony  of 
Scotchmen  was  planted  on  the  shores  of  Fort  Royal  Hasin ;  and 
between  these  colonists  and  the  French  of  Port  Royal  itself  there 
seems  to  have  bten  good-will.  The  Scotch  settlement  came 
about  in  lliis  way.  Wuking  up  to  the  fact  that  the  British  Crown, 
by  virtue  o:'  Cabot's  discoveries,  had  a  claim  upon  the  whole  of 
tlie  North  Americ;i,ii  continent,  King  James  I  resolved  to  assert 
this  claim.  In  1614  he  granted  to  the  •'  .Association  of  the  (l-rand 
Council  of  Plymouth"  all  liie  lands  of  America  lyinj  between  the 
45tli  aiul  4(Sth  ])aralleis  ;  and  he  called  the  grant  N"w  England. 
Thus  .America  had  uuw  a  New  England,  a  New  Spain,  a  New 
France  ;  and  to  a  patriotic  Scotchman,  Sir  William  .Alexander,  it 
seemed  well  that  there  should  be  also  a  New  Scotland.  Sir 
William  was  a  man  of  letters  and  a  courtier.  His  nimble  imagi- 
nation soon  supjilied  him  with  a  scheme  ;  and  his  influence  at 
court  enabled  him  to  i)ush  the  scheme  forward.  He  obtained 
from  the  King  a  grant  of  the  Acadian  peninsula  with  Cape  Breton 
Island  and  that  roomy  corner  of  the  mainland  now  occupied  by 

46 


THE   SCOTCH  IN  ACADIIC, 


47 


New  IJriinswick  and  daspd-.  To  the  whole  of  this  region  Sir 
W'tlliuiu  giive  the  name  of  Nova  Scotia,  —  a  name  which  time  ius 
nan  owed  down  to  the  [iei)insula  and  the  island.  'I'he  name  and 
charter  of  Nova  Scotia  were  given  in  iOji. 

Sir  Willi;. in  began  in  a  very  rnoderate  way  tlie  j)eo])ling  of  his 
great  tlominion.  liul  ho  did  not  attemj)!  to  di,s|)Ohsess  llie  l-'rench 
settlers.  Acadie  was  ii  the  .strong  hinds  of  Uien-  Tt»o  ciaimc  of 
court  and  the  de  la  Tours ;  ;md  after  sending  out  one  ftna"oharles 
small  detachment  of  Scotch  settlers  Sir  William  de-  '*e'a'''°""^ 
cided  to  wait  for  a  more*  favourable  opportunity.  Biencourt, 
indeed,  hel.l  from  llie  I'rcnch  Kinj;'  a  title  by  no  means  agretirible 
to  Sir  William's  claims,  namely  that  of  Connnandant  of  Ac  idie. 
Soon  after  the  coming  of  the  Scotch  the  mdomitable  Hiencourt 
died,  leaving  his  title  and  resi>C)nsibilities  to  hi^  tried  comrade  in 
arms,  the  younger  de  la  Tour.  Chules  de  la  'I'our  occupied  a 
strong  post  called  Fort  Louis,  near  Cape  Sabie  ; '  while  his  father, 
Claude,  held  a  trading-post  on  the  I'enobst  ot  River,  in  Maine. 
Sir  William  .'Mexander  ( ontented  himself,  for  some  years,  with 
sending  a  ship  each  season  to  trade  ami  explore  in  his  di'inains. 
1  '0  la  Tour  refrained  from  precipitating  a  contest,  perha|)s  thinking 
thit  when  the  thrifty  Scotclimen  had  once  got  well  establishttl 
they  would  grow  to  be  a  prize  worth  seizing.  \V'hen,  in  1635, 
James  died,  Sir  William's  grant  was  ratified  by  King  Charles. 
Forthwith  the  ingenious  courtier  devised  a  scheme  which,  had  it 
been  rarried  out  with  the  backing  of  a  |)atriotic  sovereign,  would 
have  resulted  in  a  solid  Scotch  Acadia,  and  would  have  forced 
back  the  edge  of  battle  between  France  and  England  to  the  very 
banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

This  scheme  of  Sir  William's,  which,  for  all  the  derision  so  lib- 
erally showered  upon  it,  was  much  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of 

that  age,  was  no  less  than  the  establishment  of  an  Order         „  .  ^ 

"  The  Knights- 

of  Knights-IJaronets  of  Nova  Scotia  (i620-     In  re-  Baronets  of 

.    '■  .  .  ,  .  ^  Nova  Scotia. 

turn  tor  certam  substantud  contributions  to  the  treasury 

of  the  colony,  and  on  condition  of  planting  actual  settlements  on 
1  On  a  haibimr  now  known  as  Port  Latour. 


"immmm 


48 


A    JIISTOKY    OF   CA.WinA. 


I! 


their  respective  grants,  there  was  given  to  eaoh  ot"  these  new 
Knights- Baronets  an  estate  of  eighteen  square  uiiies.  1  V.iring  the 
next  ten  years  were  issued  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  and  seven 
patents  of  this  new  orde;  of  nobihty.  Their  estates  were  scat- 
tered over  the  peninsuhv,  Ca{)e  Breton,  New  Bruns»vick,  and  even 
tlie  sterile  soUtudes  of  Anticosti. 

While  the  scheme  was  ripening,  war  broke  out  between  ]'>ance 
and  hngland ;  and  Sir  William  judged  t!;e  tniie  was  couie  for  him 

to   enter   his   kingdom.     Bv   a   strange   coincidence, 
Port  Royal  o  ,  »  > 

9;,izod  by  Richelieu  was  at  the  verv  moment  organizing  his  com- 
pany  of  the  Hundred  Associates,  Ivirke's  expedition, 
whicli  we  havj  aheady  seen  atTadc^usac  vainly  siur.mcning  Cham- 
plain  to  surrender,  was  the  visible  [)ower  of  Sir  William  Alexander 
put  forth  to  grasp  his  domains.  When  the  English  admiral  shat- 
tered de  Ro([uemont's  fleet,  he  destroyed  the  hope  not  of  CI  'm- 
l)lain  only,  hue  also  of  Charles  de  la  Tour.  For  with  the  ill-starred 
ships  of  de  Roquemont  was  Claude  de  la  Tour,  carrying  arms  and 
supplies  to  put  Port  Royal  in  a  state  of  defence.  Claude  de  la 
Tour  was  sent  vvith  other  ])risoners  to  England  ;  and  Kirke,  bear- 
ing down  upon  Port  Royal,  found  it  in  no  condition  to  oppuse  him. 
He  took  possession  in  the  name  of  Sir  William  Alexander,  and 
presently  sailed  away,  leaving  a  small  garrison  in  charge  to  mal-e 
ready  for  the  coming  of  colonists.  Charles  de  la  Tour,  meanwhile, 
defiant  but  circumspect,  shut  himself  up  in  bus  fort  of  St.  Louis, 
at  ''ape  Sable,  and  waited  to  see  what  would  hajypen. 

.\  year  later,  about  the  time  of  Champlain's  sitrreniler  of 
Quebec,  an  English  captain,  Lord  James  Stuart,  suddenly  realized 
^^    .     ^    ^    the  strategic-  imy^ortanci'  of  Cape  Breton  as  the  guar- 

The  Hist  bout  b  1  1  p> 

bKwoen  dian  of  the  Gulf.     He  straightway  built  a  fort  at  the 

France  ar.ij  _  '  ' 

Engiavij  m  eastern  corner  of  the  island.  But  of  short  life  was 
his  venture.  A  French  vvar-ship,  under  one  Captain 
Daniel,  swept  down  upon  the  fledgling  slronghohl,  captured  the 
garrison,  and  demolished  the  fortifications.  .\t  the  mouth  of  the 
Big  Bras  d'Or,  Daniel  erected,  under  the  Lilies  of  France,  a  fort 
of  stronger  ramparts  and  heavier  gun>.      The  fortune  of  France 


i 


THE   DE    LA    TOURS,    FATHRR  A.VD   SO,V. 


49 


in  the  New  World  and  elsewhere  seemed  nearing  eclipse  ;  but 
from  these  lonely  defences  in  Cape  Breton,  as  from  de  la  Tour's 
undaunted  battlements  at  Cape  Sable,  it  shed  an  unrrembling  ray 
of  hope  and  fortitude. 

20.    The  de  la  Tours,  Father  and  Son.  — 'Fhese  two  de  la  Tours, 
Claude  and  his  more  illustrious  son  Charles,  are  picturesque  and 

imiiortant  fitjures  in  our  history.     Their  family  name 

'  "  ^  •'  Claude  and 

was  St.  Etienne.     Claude  de  St.  ELiO.ine  was  lord  of  Charles  de  la 

Tour, 
the  manor  of  la  Tour,  in  France  ;  but,  being  a  Hugue- 
not, his  fortunes  were  ruined  in  the  civil  war  which  rent  his  fother- 
land.  With  his  stripling  son  he  had  betaken  himself  to  Poutrin- 
court's  colony  at  Port  Royal.  Four  years  later  fell  the  thunderbolt 
of  Argall's  raid,  and  the  de  la  Tours  were  once  more  homeless. 
Claude  then  established  a  trading-post  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Penobscot  River;  while  Charles,  as  we  have  seen,  threw  himself 
into  the  wild  life  of  the  woods  and  became  the  brother-in-arms 
of  Biencourt.  In  such  a  life  his  shrewdness,  daring,  self-reliance, 
and  patience  under  reverses,  were  trained  to  the  highes*^  develoi> 
ment.  When  he  fell  heir  to  Biencourt's  powers  and  possessions, 
he  was  able  to  give  a  refuge  to  his  father,  whom  adversity  had 
again  overtaken.  The  jealousy  of  the  New  F^ngland  colonists  had 
driven  Claude  de  la  Tour  from  his  post  on  the  Penobscot.  Soon 
after  Biencourt\.  death  Charles  had  remove<l  his  headquarters 
from  Port  Royal  lo  Cape  Sable,  where  he  had  built  that  Fort 
St.  Louis  alr-^udy  spoken  of.  About  this  time,  from  among  the 
d/iughters  of  his  Huguenot  countrymen  he  took  to  himself  a  wife, 
—  a  woman  who,  by  her  beauty  and  her  gentle  breeding,  her 
heroism  and  her  misfortunes,  was  destined  to  win  the  most 
romantic  immortality  in  our  annals. 

When  the  war  broke  out  between   Krance  and  England  de  la 
Tour  strove  to  strengthen  his  position.     He  sent  his  father  home 
to  beg  the  King  for  aid.     The  mission  was  successful ;   ciaude  do  u 
and  Claude  de  la  Tour  was  on  his  way  back  to  Acadie  Jver^to°the 
with  ships,  men,  and  munitions  of  war  encugh  to  have  ^"Siish 
made  her  impregnable,  when,  as  we  have  seen,  the  heavy  hand 


m 


i    : 


'    I 


t 
1 


50 


A    IflSTORV   OP    CANADA. 


of  Kirke  intervened.  While  the  son,  sliiit  up  with  his  hardy 
colonists  at  Fort  Si.  Louis,  uj)held  through  those  dark  hours  his 
country's  flag,  his  father  was  being  flattered  and  feasted  at  the 
court  of  England.  To  Claude  de  la  Tour,  as  to  many  of  her  Hugue- 
not sons,  his  own  country  had  proved  a  harsh  steivmother  ;  and  that 
astute  observer  of  men,  Sir  William  Alexander,  saw  in  him  a  fit  in- 
strument for  the  working  out  of  his  pl.ms.  1  )e  la  Tour  was  heaped 
with  favours.  He  married  a  lady  <  f  the  coirt.  Both  he  and  his 
son  were  made  Knights- Baronets  of  .Viwa  Scotia  with  a  more  than 
princely  endowment  of  forty-five  hundred  square  miles  along  the 
Atlantic  coast.  In  return  he  promised  that  he  would  win  his  son  to 
the  English  cause,  and  hand  over  the  whole  of  Aculie  to  Sir  William. 
But  the  ever  unfortunate  nobleman  had  promised  more  than 
he  could  perform.  With  two  ships  fiill  of  colonists  he  sailed  for 
„  ^  .,  ,         Nova  Scotia  in  the  summer  of  i6;o;  and  within  the 

He  fails  to  "^ 

breakdown      wills  of  Fort  St.  Louis  he  unfolded  his  designs  to  his 

his  son's 

fidelity  to  son.  The  sturdy  defender  of  Acadie  would  not  hear 
P'rance. 

him.     Charles  d*  la    Tour  was  holding  his  post  for 

France,  and  he  was  neitner  to  be  purchased  nor  persuaded.  I'^ind- 
ing  his  threats  and  his  entreaties  ulike  vain,  the  lather  in  despair 
attempted  force  ;  l)ut  his  assault  was  beaten  off.  The  picture  is  a 
strange  and  ]Kiinful  ime.  In  deep  humiliation  Claude  dt  la  Tour 
withdrew  to  Port  Royil,  and  landed  his  settlers  among  the  Scotch 
already  established  there.  In  his  distress  he  begged  the  lady 
whom  he  had  married,  and  to  whom  he  had  promised  luxury  and 
power  in  iiis  new  pt'ssessions,  that  she  woukl  forsake  ^  \\\  and 
return  to  England  ;  but  she  refused,  vowing  to  share  his  -vil  fort- 
unes not  less  than  his  prosiierity.  When  two  years  later,  by  the 
Treaty  of  St.  Germain-en- Laye,  No\  i  Scotia  and  Canada  were 
ceded  back  to  France  by  that  short-sighted  monarch  who  could 
not  see  beyond  his  queen's  dowTy/  Claude  de  la  Tour  wa*  forced 
to  take  refuge  with  his  son  at  Fort  St.  Louis.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards sent  by  Charles  to  build  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  th«  St.  John  ; 


1  Charies  I  gave  up  tlicsi'  icirilories  under  the  threat  of  Ric'ie!ieu  that  otherwise 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria's  ctowry,  400,000  c.rovvns,  wouVi  not  b(  paid. 


ISAAC  DE   RA/JI.l  Y. 


51 


and  from  this  period  he  fades  out  of  prominence  on  the  pages  of 
Acadian  story.  To  his  son  and  to  his  son's  vvife  belongs  all  the 
lustre  which  shines  about  the  name  of  de  la  1  our.  In  re(  ognition 
of  C'harles  de  la  Tour's  faithful  zeal  for  France,  ho  was  commis- 
sioned in  1 63 1  as  the  King's  lieutenant-generil  in  Acadie.  Stores, 
men,  and  munition  of  war  were  sent  out  to  him,  that  there  might 
be  solid  power  behind  his  honour. 

21.  The  Struggle  between  de  la  Tour  and  Charnisay.  —  When 
France  found  herself  once  more  in  po^Mssion  of  (Canada  and 
Acadie,  she  apparently  awoke  to  the  importance  of  her  New 
World  empire.     Her  indifference  was  at  an  end  ;  and   Gmwing 


from  this  point  onward  the  great  struggle  between  tlie  Canada  and 


interest  in 
Canada 

Lilies  and  the  Liont '  wears  a  more  definite  shape.   ^^•^^'^^' 
Th';'  acute  vision  of  Richelieu  saw  into  it ;  and  though  C'harles  of 
England,  neither  patriot  nor  statesman,  ignored  it,  the  eyes  of  the 
keen  pioneers  on  Massachusetts  Bay  were  not  long  blind  to  its  drit"t. 

The  task  of  dispossessing  the  Scotch  and  mal<ing  Acadie  once 
more  a  French  colony  was  committed  to  Isaac  de  Ra/.illy,  a  relative 
of  the  great  Cardinal,  and  a  distinguished  cajjtain  in  the  royal  navy. 
In  the  spring  of  1632  he  came  to  Acadie  with  a  shipload  of  colo- 
nists, received  the  submission  of  the  Scotch  settlers  isaacde 
at  Port  Royal,  and  then  fixed  his  head(|uarters  at  La  ^*^'"y- 
Heve.  This  harbour  was  preferred  to  Port  Royal  as  a  more  con- 
venient centre  from  which  to  work  the  rich  fisheries  of  the  Atlan- 
tic coast.  With  de  Razilly  came  two  persons  of  importance  — 
Nicholas  Denys,  destined  to  succeed  Lescarbot  as  the  picturesque 
historian  of  Acadie,  and  the  Seigneur  d'Aulnay  C^iiarnisay,  doomed 
to  an  unenviable  fame  as  the  traitorous  conqueror  of  a  noMe  foe. 

While  de  Razilly,  at  La  Heve,  busied  his  colonists  with  goc<d 
fishing  and  poor  farming,  his  lieutenant  Charnisay  was  thrusting 
back  the  New  Englanders.     The  indefatigable  Plymouth  Colony, 

1  From  a  very  early  day  the  symbol  of  French  royalty,  and  tlie  distin{;iiisli  ng 
feature  of  the  French  royal  standard,  was  the  Lily  or  Fleur-de-Lys.  The  Lions 
of  the  British  standard  are  derived  from  the  House  of  Plantagenet,  ;ind  are,  strictly 
speaking,  not  lions  at  all,  but  leopards.  The  only  true  lioii  on  the  standard  is  that 
of  Scotland. 


»H^wn#Tnwi 


ssni 


3 1 

i 


52 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


after  ousting  Claude  de  la  Tour  from  his  post  on  the  Penobscot,  had 
themselves  established  there  a  trading-depot.  This  post  Charni- 
charnisay  ^^v  took  j)osse.ssion  of ;  and  he  sent  curt  warning  to 
the^Newf*^^  the  New  Englanilers,  saying  that,  as  they  were  trespass- 
Engianders.  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  territory  of  France,  he  would  come  pres- 
ently antl  remove  them  all  to  the  south  of  Cape  Cod,  flighly 
incensed  at  this  coniident  insolence  of  the  French,  the  New  l:^ng- 
landers  made  reaiJy  lo  chastise  it  j  but  jealousy  between  Plymouth 
.ind  Boston  prevented  them  working  together.  Nothing  but  joint 
action  could  have  prevailed  against  a  vigorous  foe  like  Charnisay. 
A  feeble  exi)edition  sent  out  from  Plymouth  against  the  Penobscot 
fort  was  sharply  punished  ;  and  for  some  years  afterwards  the 
P'rench  were  left  m  undisturbed  possession.  Another  trading-post 
had  been  set  up  by  the  New  Englanders  at  Machias,  far  east  of 
the  Penobscot.  This  was  destroyed  by  de  la  Tour,  who  shipped 
the  crestfallen  traders  back  to  Plymouth  Bay.  In  spite  of  these 
rough  measures,  which  carried  the  fringe  of  conflict  far  soutli  of 
/.cadian  soil,  there  was  as  yet  no  malignity  of  hate  in  the  rivalry 
between  New  England  and  New  France.  In  their  contests  all 
the  courtesies  of  battle  were  observed  :  and  in  the  intervals  of 
peace  their  colonists  traded  amicably.  Neither  had  yet  realized 
that  this  duel  was  to  the  death. 

But  Acadie  was  now  to  be  torn  by  the  fangs  of  civil  strife.  In 
1636  the  excellent  de  Razilly  died ;  and  Acadie  was  left  under  the 
divided  headship  of  de  la  Tour  and  Charnisay.  De  la  Tour  was  the 
lieutenant  of  the  King ;  Charnisay  had  been  the  lieutenant  of  de 
Razilly.  Both  were  ambitious,  masterful,  untiring.  A  conflict  was 
inevitable.  De  la  Tour  had  received  a  grant  of  some  four  tiun- 
De  la  Tour  at  clred  and  fifty  square  miles  around  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  John.  gj  John.  Completing  and  enlarging  the  fort  which 
his  father  had  begun,  he  removed  his  headquarters  thither,  leaving 
his  father  in  charge  of  Fort  St.  Louis.  The  new  fort  at  the  St. 
John's  mouth  was  a  strongly  palisaded  structure  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  square,  with  four  bastions ;  and  here,  with  his  wife  and 
his  children,  his  soldiers,  his  labourers,  and  his  devoted  red  allies, 


CHARNISAY  INTRIGUES  AGAINST  DE  LA    TOUR. 


53 


he  lived  in  a  rough  but  real  sovereignty.    Directly  across  the  water, 

at  Port  Royal,  behind  a  line  of  blue  heights  visible  in  clear  weather 

from  Fort  la  Tour, -dwelt  Charnisay,  who  had  fallen  heir  to  no  small 

portion  of  Razilly's  estates  and  privileges.     Charnisay  had  rebuilt 

and  refortified  Port  Royal,  removing  thither  most  of  the  i.u  Heve 

colonists   and   settling   them   on  the   fertile   meadows  along    his 

threshold  river.     His  aim  was  to  make  money  by  the  fur-trude; 

and  the  abounding  prosperity  of  his  rival   over  the  bay,  whose 

position  on  the  St.  John  enabled  him  to  intercept  the  trade  of  the 

inland  tribes,  filled  him  with  wrath. 

Charnisay  set  himself  to  the  task  of  undermining  de  la  Tour's 

influence  at  court.     At  first  he  met  with  little  success  ;  but  after 

several  years  of  persistent  intrigue,  of  which  his  rival 

11    '  -1  11  1  rTM  •  Chamisav 

was  all  unconscious,  he  got  what  he  sought,      ihis  was  gets  orders  to 

an  order  from  the  ungrateful  and  forgetful  King,  sum-   Tour  to 
1     1     rr.         111-.  II  France, 

monmg  de  la  lour  back  to  rran<:t  to  stand  trial  on  a 

number  of  truinped-up  charges.  In  case  of  de  la  '\o\.w  refusing  to 
obey  the  King's  order,  Charnisay  was  authorized  to  carry  him  to 
France  by  force.  When  de  la  Tour  learned,  with  natural  astonish- 
ment, that  not  only  was  he  deprived  of  his  rank  a.-,  the  King's  lieu- 
tenant-general, of  his  possessions,  and  of  his  means  of  livelihood, 
but  that  he  was  to  be  carried  a  prisoner  to  France,  he  was  not 
long  in  deciding  what  to  do.  He  refused  obedience,  and  dared 
his  foe  to  arrest  him.  Seeing  his  strong  waiis  and  his  veteran 
ranks,  Charnisay  was  afraid  to  fight.  He  withdrew  to  Port  Royal, 
and  sent  home  a  formal  report  of  de  la  Tour's  disobedience.  Both 
antagonists  now  braced  themselves  for  the  =^*Tna:gle.  Charnisay, 
strong  in  the  great  Cardinal's  friendship,  sv  u'U  and  found  assist- 
ance in  Paris.  De  la  Tour's  only  supporters  were  the  Huguenot 
merchants  in  his  wife's  city  of  Rochelle ;  and  Rochelle  was  still 
crippled  from  the  srourge  of  Richelieu's  hate. 

Early  in  the  spring  of    1^43   Charnisay  was  ready  to  attack. 
One  morning,  as  the  fog  slowly  lifted  in  front  of  Fort  charnisay's 
la  Tour,  three  ships,  wilh  several  smaller  craft,  were   ^fst  attack, 
seen  gliding  into  tiie  harbour.     Charnisay  disembarked  a  force  of 


»»il||liim.-< 


54 


A    JflSrORY   OF   CANADA. 


five  hundred  men,  and  led  them  swiftly  to  the  assault.  Ikit  de  la 
Tour  was  not  caught  sleeping.  For  an  hour  tlie  storm  raged  in 
vain  on  palisade  and  bastion.  Then  in  baffled  fury  C'harnisay 
ordered  off  his  men.  Drawing  a  strict  blockaile  about  fort  and 
harbour,  he  waited  for  hunger  to  achieve  what  his  arms  could  not. 
Hut  de  la  Tour  was  a  hard  prisoner  to  hold.  When  the  long-ex- 
pected ship  from  Rochelle,  with  supplies  and  reinforcements,  ap- 
peared cautiously  off  the  coast,  de  la  Tour  and  his  wife  slij^ped 
through  the  blockade  by  night  witli  muffled  oars,  were  received  on 
the  friendly  deck,  and  made  all  sail  to  Boston  for  a'.d.  They  got  it, 
though  the  prudent  men  of  Boston  made  them  |)av  well  for  it. 
Tlicn,  while  his  rival  was  doubtless  dreaming  of  a  sj^eedy  triumph, 
de  la  Tour  swejjt  down  upon  his  rear  with  five  ships  ready  for  bat- 
tle. Amazed  and  overwhelmed,  Charnisa\'  fled  back  t'j  Port  Roval, 
de  la  Tour  close  at  his  heels  and  chastising  him  on  his  own  thresh- 
old. The  quarrel  might  well  have  been  ended  then  and  there,  by 
the  capture  of  Charnisay,  and  the  seizure  of  Port  Royal  ;  but  the 
scruples  of  de  la  Tour's  allies  now  stepped  in.  The  thrifty  Puritans 
were  well  satisfied  with  the  rich  booty  of  furs  which  they  had  secured. 
They  insisted,  therefore,  on  the  virtues  of  moderation,  and  forced 
de  la  Tour  tt)  stay  his  liand  when  liis  work  was  but  half  done. 

Knowing  that  now  it  must  be  all  fought  over  again,  de  la  Tour  set 
himself  to  strengthen  his  defences,  while  his  wife  went  to  France 
Bis  second  ^o  gather  help.  Thither,  too,  had  gone  C'harnisay  on 
attack.  jj^jg  same  errand,  and  there  he  tried  to  get  Madame  de 

la  Tour  arrested  for  treason.  The  lady,  however,  outwitted  him, 
and  made  good  her  escape  to  England.  After  a  whole  year's 
absence,  she  found  her  way,  through  a  host  of  |)erils,  back  to  Fort 
]a  Tour.  Her  mission  had  been  partly  successful  ;  and  (  liarnisay, 
knowing  this,  postponed  his  next  move.  A  few  months  later, 
however,  de  la  Tour  was  forced  to  make  another  visit  to  Boston. 
Promptly  on  the  news  of  his  going  came  his  foe.  The  watchers 
on  the  lonely  ramparts  by  the  tide  could  see  Charnisay's  cnjisers 
flitting  to  and  fro  just  beyond  the  harbour  mouth,  waiting  to  catch 
de  la  Tour  on  his  return.     AVithin  the  fort  5upplie>;  ran  low,  but 


4 


Ltny  /;/•  /.•;   touk's  defkace  or  nn:  fokt. 


55 


t  hecrtd  by  tin,  ilauntloss  rouragc  of  their  fair  Iciuler  the  garrison 
kept    good    heart.     iVesently    traitors   were  disccn-eretl    in    their 
inid't,   two  spies  of  C'harnisay.      They  would    have    lieeu    hung 
forthwith  from  the  rainputs,  but  that  Lady  ilc  la  'lV)ur  was  too  coni- 
jiassionatc.     She  e.ontetitccl    lierself  with  driving   them  from  the 
gates ;  and  they  siunk  •A'i  to  tiieir  master  with  news  that  the  food 
was  low,  the  powder  nearly  all  gone,  and  the  garrison  too  weak  to 
vvithstand    assault.       ("harnisay's    battle-ship   at  mice   moved    uj) 
beneatli  the  walls,  and  opened  fir'-.      lUit  their  leader's  example 
had  made  liev  men  all  lutroes,  and  the  enemy  met  so  hot  a  fire 
lliat   he  drew  off  with  a  sinking  .>,hip  and  shattered   Lady  de la 
forces.     This  was  in  February.     Not  till  April  did  he    femfeo^the 
return  to  the  atta(  k  ;  but  he  ke[)t  a  blocka'le  so  rigid   ^"^• 
that  no  help  could  reach  the  doomed  fore.     De  la  Tour's  ship 
hung  des])airing  in  the  offing. 

One  still  spring  i^iglst  came  tlie  beginning  of  the  end.  The 
sentry  on  the  ramJl■Jrt^J  ( aught  the  sound  of  rattling  cables,  the 
splash  of  lowering  boats.  With  dawn  the  struggle  began.  Char- 
nisay  had  disembarked  under  cover  of  night.  He  led  liis  attack 
against  the  1  uidward  and  sveaker  side  of  the  furt.  The  courage 
of  the  defenders  was  n  (  ourage  without  hojit.',  for  ihey,  as  well  as 
their  leader,  knew  that  late  liad  decideil  against  them.  Vet  from 
Thursday  till  Satuniny  the  indomitable  woman  fronted  every 
charge,  and  the  erieu\y  caxe  way  before  her.  .\t  last  a  Swiss  mer- 
cen.iry  in  the  garrison  tinned  traitor,  bought  by  Charnisay's  gold, 
and  threw  open  the  great  gates  of  the  fort.  But  even  then, 
although  within  the  walls,  Charnisay  was  not  yet  victorious.  He 
was  met  so  desperately  that  a  mean  fear  seized  him,  lest  he 
should  again  endure  defeat  by  a  woman.  Professing  admiration 
for  sue  h  splendid  courage,  he  called  for  a  truce,  and  offered  hon- 
ourable terms.  W'ishing  to  save  her  f lithful  followers,  chamisay's 
Lady  de  la  Tour  yielded,  and  set  her  name  to  the  v^,ctory;°and 
articles  of  surrender.  Then  came  the  act  which  has  ^'®  cf»ne. 
iirought  C'harnisay's  name  down  in  a  bUue  of  infamy.  His  end 
c>nc;e  gained,  and  the  fort  in  his  hands,  he  mocked  the  woman 


|!.|i 


5<'> 


.1   HISTORY  or  CANADA. 


\  " 


whom  he  could  not  conquer  in  fair  tight,  and  lore  ii)">  the  (Mjiitula- 
tion  before  her  face.  The  brave  garrison  he  took  man  by  man, 
and  hung  them  in  the  open  yard  of  the  fort ;  while  their  mistress, 
sinking  witli  horror,  was  held  to  \\it':h  their  struggles,  with  a 
halter  about  her  neck.  C"harni.iay  c mied  Iv.'r  to  l'')rt  Royal  ,  and 
there,  v/ithin  three  weeks  of  the  ruin  of  her  hu,sl)and,  the  destnu.- 
tion  of  her  home,  the  butchery  of  her  loved  and  loyal  followers, 
the  heroine  of  .\i:adie  died  of  ti  broken  hort  ( 1645). 

22.  Latter  Days  and  Death  of  Charnivsay.  Changes  in  the 
Ownership  of  Acadie. —  I'he  next  tew  years  saw  de  la  Tour  a  v\\iu- 
Death  of  derer  ;  while  (JlKiinisay,  supreme  in  Acadie  and  secure 

Charnisay.  j^^  court  favour,  reaped  the  rich  harvest  of  tin-  fur- 
trade  and  uia<.i'.'  a  treat}-  of  amity  with  New  Faiglaud.  The  only 
th(.irn  remaining  in  his  side  was  the  independent  holding  of 
Nicholas  Denys,  in  Cape  Breton.  Ti^cre  Denys,  under  privileges 
granted  by  the  King.  w:is  growing  wealthy  on  the  rich  fisheries  of 
the  Gulf.  T).:*nys  and  Cliarnisay  had  been  schoolboy-comrades  ; 
!)Ut  in  Charnisay's  eyes  siuh  matters  were  of  small  account. 
Tie  attacked  his  old  friend's  forts,  seized  his  goods,  broke  up 
his  settlemeni,  and  drove  him  to  taVe  refuge  in  Q>uebec.  This 
done,  he  could  look  with  pride  on  h)s  achievements.  At  Fort 
Royal  he  ruled  a  fair  and  flourishing  community,  farming  the  rich 
acres  which  his  dikes  had  re<  lainied  from  the  title.  His  own 
ships,  built  at  I'ort  Royal,  throve  in  trade.  On  Acadian  land  or 
in  .\cadian  waters  no  one  could  sell  a  codfish  or  barter  a  l^eaver- 
skin  without  paying  tribute  to  his  coffers.  Although  a  robber,  a 
false  accuser,  a  traitor,  and  a  nnirderer,  we  have  no  record  to 
show  that  his  conscience  troubled  him.  Perhaps  he  felt  that  these 
failings  might  be  overlooked,  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  he 
had  beei;  zealous  to  christia.nize  the  liyiians.  The  future  looked 
very  fair  before  hiui  ;  but  just  at  the  height  of  his  good  fortune  he 
chanced  to  fall  into  his  turliid  little  river  of  Port  Royal,  and  was 
drowned  in  its  deep  e(idies. 

During  his  five  years  of  homeless  wandering,  chietly  in  New 
England  and  the  St.  Lawrence  valley,  de  la  Tour  had  been  treated 


CHANCES  IN   OlVNEKSn/P   OF  A  CADI F. 


57 


everywhcn-,  in  spite  of  his  ruined  fortunes,  with  a  consideraiion 

whicii   i,-)  thv  ])est  witness  to  his  great   ciualitics.       Immediately 

on  ("harnisay's  death  he  hastened   to  I'Vance,  where   De  la  Tou- 

he  speedily  confuted  the  slanders  of  his  enemy.     The   nJsay^s ''^^^ 

King  made  hiivi  the   iullest  restitution  in  his  power,   w'<'<'^^- 

giving  him  back  his  estates,  and  ajJiiointing  him  governor  of  all 

Acadie.     The  tin-trade  was  his,  and  his  fortune-,  mended  rapidly. 

I^ut  at  Port  Royal  there  remained  an  ol)Stac:Ie  to  his  triumph,  the 

widow  and  ehildten  of  Cliarnisay,  who  were  heirs  at  law  to  all  their 

father's  possessions.    The  |)roblem  here  presented,  de  la  Tour  soon 

solved,  not  with  the  swonl.  but  with  a  reremony.     He  married 

the  widow  of  his  foe,  .ind  took  her  children  under  his  protection. 

Hut  fate  was  preparing  yet  other  surprises  for  him.     (.Miarnisay 

had  got  Inmself  overwhelmingly  in  debt  to  one  Kmmanuel  le  Borgne, 

a  rich  merchanl  of  Rochelle.     (Joming  to  Acadie  to 

Le  Borgne 
collect  his  claim,  le  Horgne  ronceived  the  idea  of  seiz-   s'^izesapart 

'"_,  ,  1      •     1    r    •      1  1       of  Acadie. 

mg  the  whole  t  ountry.     He  overthrew  the  mdefitigable 

Denys,  who  had  reestablishcxl  his  fisheries  in  Cape  Breton,  took 

Port  Royal,  and  was  meditating  the  capture  of  de  la  Tour's  fort  by 

stratagem,  when  the  kaleidoscope  of  fortune  gave  another  turn, 

and  things  fell  into  yet  another  pattern.     The  sur[)rise  was  now 

le  Borgne's. 

England,  under  the  vigorous  rule  of  Cromwell,  had  been  at  war 
with  fiolland.  An  expedition  was  organized  to  capture  the  Dutch 
settlements  of  New  Amsterdam,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson 
River.  The  ships  reached  Boston,  where  500  colonists  enlisted 
in  the  enterprise.  Just  then  came  the  unwelcome  news  of  peace 
between  TCngland  and  Holland.  Here  was  a  strong  force  organ- 
ized, ready  to  accomplish  anything  that  might  be  found  for  it  to 
do.  There  was  Acadie,  a  pleasant  fruit  to  be  plucked.  Boston 
was  never  long  in  making  up  her  mind ;  and  the  EngHsh  ships 
were  steered  for  Fort  la  Tour. 

Quite  unprepared  for  such  an  attack,  de  la  Tour  surrendered. 
Port  Royal  soon  followed,  after  a  feeble  defence  by  le  Borgne ; 
and  all  Acadie  was  again  in  English  hands  (1654).     An  English 


mm 


5« 


//    If/STOKY   OF  CANADA. 


i    : 


i 


gf'Vtrnor  vvas  ])Lk:o(1  in  ( harge  of  Port  Royal  ;  but  the  settlers 
The  English  ^v<i(.  Ictt  iiiulistiiibecl  in  their  possessions,  with  liberty 
B^n\^!^md^  ut  eonseienee  and  of  person.  Ihe  French  court 
whcie^coun-  pressed  angrily  for  disallowani  e  of  this  ac't  (jf  the  New 
^'y-  iMiglanders,  and  for  the  instant  restoration  of  Acadie  ; 

but  Crouiu'.ll  would  listen  to  anything  rather  than  that,  lie 
undi:r.stood  tlie  nature  of  the  New  World  problem. 

Do  la 'lour  was  again,  to  all  appearance,  ruined.  lUit  he,  like 
Ulysses,  was  no  less  sagacious  than  brave.  He  went  at  once  to 
Mngland.  So  skilfully  and  persuasively  did  he  lay  his 
granted  10  case  l)('lort  the  Iron  rrotector,  ])leading  the  grant 
Crownt',  and  lua'.ie  by  Cuarl'.'s  J  to  himself  and  his  father,  that 
("romwi'll,  loving  a  man  of  capacity  and  resource,  ga\i' 
him  back  his  own  with  interest.  A  vast  region  on  the  peninsula 
and  mainland  extending  far  into  what  is  now  Maine,  was  granted  to 
a  i;ompany  consiiiting  of  de  la  'J  our,  a  colonel  of  CJromwell's  named 
Thomas  Temple,  and  an  ambitious  divine  by  the  name  of  William 
( "rowne.'  To  thi.^  triimivirate  was  allowed  the  fullest  trade  mo- 
nopoly ;  and  Temple  wa.-^  made  governor.  De  la  Tour,  having  by 
this  time  had  cnou::"u  of  vicissitudes,  and  foreseeing  further  trouble 
between  France  and  Lngiand,  sold  out  his  vast  intertrsts  to  his 
two  paitru.Ts  and  sank  into  the  well-earned  ease  of  pri>'ate  life. 
Temple  spent  great  sums  in  developing  his  colony;  but  the  death 
of  Cromwell,  and  the  Restoration  of  the  Stuarts  in  i66o,  brought 
him  gra\e  embarrassments,  {{e  hurried  back  to  Ivngland  to  look 
after  his  interests.  I5y  ins  wit  and  knowledge  of  men  he  won 
the  favour  of  Charles  I!,  and  returned  to  Acadie  with  the  roval 
coutirmation  of  his  privileges.  All  went  well  for  some  years;  till 
at  length  war  broke  out  between  Fraiu  c  and  I'^ngland,  a  war  which 
no   Englishman    remembers    without    shame.       When 

Acadie  ceded  "^ 

bark  trj  the  Ireaty  of  Breda  was  signeil,  in  [06 7,  Acadie  was 

France .  o         ^  <  ? 

ignominioubly  handed  back  to  Fi.jnce  in  return  for  a 
little  sugar-island  in  the  West  Indies.  Thus  blind  was  Charles  to 
the  pointing  finger  of  destiny. 

i"Crovviie  was  the  fatlier  of  John  Crowne  ihc  Dramatist,  wlio  %vas    tiuru   in 
Nova  Scotia."  — Hannay, 


f    i 


If 


chai'ti:r  v. 

SECTIONS : —  23,  tmk  Wokk  dr  tiik  Jksuits.      34,  the  Found- 

ISC,    OF     MONTKKAI,.        25,     THE     DESTRUCTION     OF     TflE      IkrK()N 

Mission.  26,  New  France  and  New  P2n(;lani).  The  Jesuits 
AND  THE  Iroquois.  37,  La\ai,.  Dom.ard.  28,  Dissensions  in 
QuEiiEC.     The  Greai   Earthqitakes. 


23.  The  Work  of  the  Jesuits.  —  While  the  Acadian  corner  of 
New  France  was  thus  serving  as  the  plaything  of  Fortune,  affairs 
had  moved  more  quietly  in  the  valley  of  tlie  St.  Lawrence. 
Richelieu's  One  Hundred  Associates  had  beguu  their  work  with 
zeal,  yet  Quebec  grew  hut  slc^vly.  The  central  figures  of  this 
period  are  the  Jesuits,  whose  missions  to  ti»e  Ilurons  of  the  ( ireat 
Lakes  are  an  imperishable  ornament  to  their  record.  '1  heir 
influence  was  now  supreme  in  Quebec,  the  Recollets  having  been 
recalled.  The  new  governor,  de  Montmagny,  sent  out  within  a 
few  months  of  Champlain's  death,  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
Jesuits.  C!hurch  and  State  appeared  inseparable.  Life  in  Quebec 
became  cloistral  in  its  severity.  Attendance  at  church  was  as 
strictly  reriuired,  and  absence  as  sternly  punished,  as  in  the  austere 
Boston  of  the  Puritans. 

From  this  time  date  the  /^//a/ions  //es /<-.<!/ i//'s,  or  "Jesuit  Narra- 
tions," .so  important  to  the  early  history  of  Canada,  so  illuminated 
with  brave  deeds  and  martyrdoms.  'l"he  glowing  ac-  xhc  Jesuit 
counts  sent  home  to  France  by  Father  le  Jeune  stirred  Narrations, 
up  the  zeal  of  the  devout,  and  it  was  now  that  the  chief  colleges  and 
hospitals  of  Quebec  were  founded.  A  Jesuit  college  was  endowed 
by  the  Marquis  de  (lamache,  in   1636.     Another  nobleman,  Noel 

59 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


;f  MM  m 

'7  IM    12.2 


II 


1112.0 


U    1 1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


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institutions 
founded. 


de  Silleri,  established  a  sort  of  liome  for  Indian  converts,  above 

Quebec,  at   a  spot  whose  name  now  commemorates   his  pious 

action.     The  Hotel  Dieu  was  endowed  by  the  Duchess  d'Aiguil- 

lon,  and  the  task  of  caring  for   its  inmates  was  undertaken  by 

three  devoted  hospital  nuns  of  Dieppe.      A  seminarv 
Religious  '  ^  ' 

itutions  for  the  instruction  of  young  girls  was  the  next  thing 
called  for  by  the  spiritual  directors  of  the  colony  ;  and 
this  was  presently  founded  by  a  wealthy  young  widow,  Madame 
de  la  Peltrie,  who  brought  her  fortune  and  her  services  to  Canada. 

While  the  Jesuits  worked  in  every  direction,  enduring  f^reat 
hardships  of  hunger,  cold,  and  filth  among  the  Montagnais  and 
The  Jesuit  Other  tribes  of  the  harsh  north-east,  their  greatest  work 
the  Hurons  ^^^^  done  in  the  Huron  country.  The  Hurons  were 
begun.  i^y  jvjj.  ^^  xviQ%\.  progressive  of  the  Canadian  Indians. 

The  first  efforts  of  Father  Br^boeuf  to  reach  the  Hurons  were  not 
successful :  but  his  zeal  grew  till  no  obstacle  could  restrain  it. 
At  length,  with  Fathers  Daniel  and  Davoust,  he  accomplished  his 
object.  A  mission  was  established  at  Thonatiria  on  Georgian 
Bay,  near  Penetanguishene.  The  position  of  these  missionaries, 
though  less  painful  than  that  of  their  fellow-workers  among  the 
Montagnais,  was  far  more  ])erilous.  There  was  a  strong  party  in 
he  tribe  which  bitterly  opposed  them,  ascribing  to 
their  influence  every  misfortune  of  the  Huron  lodges. 
This  party,  clinging  to  their  ancient  faith,  professed  to  regard  the 
sacraments  and  services  of  the  Fathers  as  evil  incantations.  The 
leaders  of  this  party  were  the  craftiest  of  their  tribe,  the  powerful 
medicine  men,  who  saw  m  the  "  Black  Robes,"  as  they  called  the 
missionaries,  the  supplanters  of  their  influence.  When  a  baptized 
child  fell  sick,  when  a  strange  disease  appeared,  when  a  hunt 
turned  out  ba<lly,  when  a  crop  was  bitten  by  the  frost,  their  mur- 
murings  grew  loud  and  indignities  were  heaped  upon  the  priests. 
At  such  times  they  dwelt  in  hourly  peril  of  the  crudest  death. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this  they  were  vexed  by  scandals  at  Quebec, 
where,  Thonatiria  being  well  situated  for  the  fur-trade,  they  were 
accused   of  illegally   following   this    traffic.      But   gradually   the 


Its  success. 


THE    WORK   OF   THE  JES'CITS. 


6l 


Fathers,  by  their  patience,  their  courage,  their  tender  and  untir- 
ing care  of  the  sick,  won  the  affections  of  the  tribe.  Their  ene- 
mies were  discomfited.  Other  priests  came  to  the  mission,  and 
the  whole  Huron  nation  presently  bowed  to  their  guidance. 
They  established  their  central  station,  called  Ste.  Marie,  on  a  little 
river  falling  into  Matchedash  Bay.  Other  stations  —  St.  Louis, 
St.  Ignace,  St.  Jean,  St.  Michel,  St.  Joseph  —  were  scattered  over 
the  country  between  Thonatiria  and  the  lake  now  called  Simcoe. 
Hither  fled,  from  the  south  and  east,  trembling  remnants  of 
Algonriuin  and  other  tribes,  scattered  before  the  tomahawks  of  the 
Iroquois  like  sheep  before  wolves.  The  hospitality  of  the  Fathers 
was  princely,  their  authority  supreme ;  but  under  their  care  the 
Huron  warriors  grew  slothful,  and  forgot  the  sleepless  menace 
lurking  south  of  the  Great  River. 

Meanwhile  the  Iroquois  were  again  scourging  the  lower  St. 
Lawrence.  They  had  lost  their  dread  of  the  French  muskets, 
and  they  carried  their  defiance  up  to  the  walls  of  Biarguerie, 
Quebec  and  Three  Rivers.  In  the  summer  of  1641  JJIquofsat 
the  latter  post  was  approached  by  a  large  Iroquois  ThreeRivers. 
war  party.  Some  months  before,  they  had  captured  two  French- 
men of  the  settlement,  one  Godefroy,  and  an  interpreter  named 
Francois  Marguerie.  This  man  was  now  sent,  under  flag  of  truce, 
to  the  commander  of  the  fort,  to  urge  disgraceful  terms  upon  the 
French.  The  demand  of  the  invaders  was  that  the  French  should 
make  peace  with  them,  and  abandon  their  Algonquin  allies  to  the 
Iroquois  hatchet.  The  heroic  Marguerie,  a  modern  Regulus,  coun- 
selled his  people  to  reject  the  dishonouring  offer ;  and  then,  to 
keep  his  we'd  and  save  his  fellow-captive,  returned  to  face  the 
tortures  which  he  knew  would  be  his  fate.  But  while  the  negotia- 
tions were  under  way  the  governor  arrived  from  Quebec  with  a 
small  force ;  and  the  Iroquois,  seeing  that  they  had  lost  their 
advantage,  consented  to  the  ransom  of  their  prisoners.  The 
brave  interpreter  was  saved  from  the  fate  whose  agonizing  horrors 
had  failed  to  turn  him  from  his  duty.  Saved,  too,  was  the  French 
honour ;  and  the  Iroquois,  after  a  random  skirmish,  departed. 


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62 


A    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


24.  The  Founding  of  Montreal.  —  While  Canada  was  thus 
aglow  with  religious  fervour,  and  pious  hearts  in  France  were 
Montreal  catching  flame  from  her  enthusiasm,  Montreal  was 
Island.  founded.     This   proud  city,  the   queen  of  Carsidian 

commerce,  was  the  child  of  an  uncalculating  devotion.  The 
object  of  its  founders  was  to  establish  an  outpost  against  the 
enemies  of  the  faith.  The  site  that  commended  itself  to  their 
rapt  vision  was  the  natural  vortex  for  the  great  currents  of  trade 
soon  to  be  set  flowing  in  Canada.  The  prophetic  eye  of  C'ham- 
plain  saw  this,  as  early  as  161 1. 

The  settlement  came  about  in  this   fashion.     Certain   devout 

men  in  France,  chief  among  them  Father  Olier  of  the  Sulpicians, 

and  Monsieur  de  la  Dauversiere,  were  fired  with  zeal  to  found  a 

college,  a  hospital,  and  a  seminary  in  ("anada.     The  Island   of 

„^  „  .  ^  Montreal,  after  much  negotiation,  thev  succeeded  in 
The  Society  o  '  , 

ofNotreDame  purchasing  from  its  owner,  one  of  the  Hundred  Asso- 
de  Montreal.     ^  •=> 

ciates.  The  Society  of  Notre  iJanie  de  Montreal  was 
organized.  The  schemes  for  a  seminary  and  college  being  set 
aside  for  a  time,  the  society  resolved  to  devote  its  energies  to 
the  hospital.  The  name  of  Ville- Marie  de  Montreal  was  given 
to  the  proposed  city,  which  was  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Family. 
In  the  selection  of  a  leader  for  their  enter])rise  the  society  made 

a  wise  choice.     They  appointed   governor  of  Ville- 

ofvnie-Mane   Marie  the  brave  and  chivalrous  de  Maisonneuve,  rich 

de  Montreal.  .  .  ,  „,  .  , 

m  experience  of  court  and   camp,     lo  superintend 

the  hospital  was  chosen  an  ardent  young  religionist,  Mademoiselle 
Jeanne  Mance  ;  and  a  wealthy  widow  named  Madame  de  Bullion, 
becoming  interested  in  the  scheme,  supplied  funds  wherewith  to 
build  it  a  habitation. 

In  1 64 1  Maisonneuve  sailed  from  Rochelle,  with  three  ships, 
and  half  a  iiundred  settlers  for  his  new  city.  When  the  expe- 
dition arrived  at  Quebec,  the  prudent  governor,  de  Montinagny, 
sought  to  change  their  purpose.  Realizing  the  peril  that  threat- 
ened Canada  from  the  Iroquois,  he  was  opposed  to  any  scatter- 
ing of  her  feeble  forces.     Already  he  was  finding  it  hard  enough 


THE  FOUNDING    OF  MONTREAL. 


^l 


to  protect  his  near  outposts.  He  wished  the  new  plantation, 
instead  of  seeking  the  heart  of  the  hostile  wilderness,  to  take 
up  rather  the  Island  of  Orleans,  whence  it  might  join  hands  of 
brotherhood  with  Quebec  across  the  channel.  But  the  colonists 
of  Ville-Marie  were  not  to  be  held  back  Maisonneuve  vowed 
that  to  Montreal  he  would  go  though  every  tree  on  the  island 
were  an  Iroquois.  That  same  autumn  (October  14th  1641)  the 
site  of  Ville-Marie  was  formally  dedicated  \  but  it  was  too  late 
in  the  season  to  build,  and  the  expedition  wintered  in  Quebec. 

In  the  spring  work  opened  with  vigour.  De  Montmagny  went 
with  the  fearless  enthusiasts,  aided  them  in  their  beginnings,  and 
finally  handed  over  to  Maisonneuve  this  patch  of  soil  destined 
to  such  sacrifice  and  such  triumph.  The  site  of  Ville-Marie  was 
quickly  enclosed  with  palisades,  defended  by  small  cannon.  The 
hospital,  built  with  Madame  de  Bullion's  money,  was  set  outside 
the  walls.  A  massive  stone  structure,  it  was  a  little  fortress  in 
itself.  So  strong  was  it,  indeed,  that  it  withstood  all  the  assaults 
of  the  Iroquois  and  the  stealthier  depredations  of  time,  and  only 
gave  way,  a  few  years  ago,  to  the  inexorable  pressure  of  trade. 

For  a  time  the  infant  colony  was  undisturbed,  the  Iroquois  not 
knowing  of  its  existence.  But  in  the  following  year  an  Algonquin, 
fleeing  before  them  for  his  scalp,  found  refuge  within  the  shelter- 
ing palisades,  and  Ville-Marie  was  revealed  to  her  mortal  foe. 
The  Iro(iuois  were  furious  at  this  bold  advance  of  the  French 
into  a  territory  which  the  terror  of  their  name  had  made  a 
desert ;  and  it  was  their  settled  policy  that  neither  French  nor 
Indians  should  be  allowed  so  near  their  own  borders.  In  parties 
large  and  small  they  thenceforth  patrolled  the  woods  about  the 
town,  and  only  in  well-armed   bands  could   the  settlers  venture 

outside.    The  stockade  was  now  regarded  as  a  defence 

7  ,      Its  a. tack  by 

all  too  frail :    and  solid  walls  and   bastions  speedily  the  Iroquois, 

and  Maison- 
replaced  it.     Ville-Marie  was  made  a  prison  ;   all  hus-   neuve'shero- 

bandry  was  at  an  end ;  and  the  cutting  of  fuel  in  the 

woods  became  a  military  operation.     Early  in  the  spring  of  1644 

the  Iroquois  attacked  in  force,  vowing  that  they  would  wipe  out 


I  i  • 


1,  if  ; 


I  ! 


64 


A   HISTOKV   OF  CANADA. 


the  settlement  and  carry  off  the  "  white  girls,"  as  they  called  the 
nuns,  to  drudge  for  them  in  their  lodges,  \faisonneuve,  yielding 
to  the  persuasit)n  of  his  too  hot-headed  followers,  went  out  and 
gave  battle  beyond  the  walls.  The  snow  was  deep,  and  soften- 
ing rapidly  in  the  spring  sun.  No  foe  was  visible  at  first,  but 
scarcely  had  the  daring  little  band  penetrated  the  forest,  when^ 
as  if  in  answer  to  Maisonneuve's  high  protestation,  every  tree 
seemed  to  become  an  Iroquois.  Huddled  together  in  amaze- 
ment, unused  to  forest  warfare,  the  Frenchmen  gave  their  foes 
an  easy  mark.  Taken  at  such  hopeless  disadvantage,  they  were 
comi)elled  to  retreat,  carrying  their  dead  and  wounded,  'i'he 
exultant  savages  hung  on  their  rear,  harassing  them  like  dogs 
but  not  daring  to  face  a  hand-to  hand  conflict.  Maisonneuve, 
with  smoking  pistols,  covered  the  retreat  of  his  discomfited 
followers.  He  was  the  last  man  to  enter  the  gate.  As  he 
backed  reluctantly  to  the  threshold  a  tall  chief  sprang  upon 
him  to  drag  him  away  for  torture ;  but  the  war-wise  hand  of 
Maisonneuve  was  too  swift  for  his  savage  antagonist,'  who  fell 
gasping  in  the  snow,  while  the  founder  of  Ville-Marie  sprang 
back  into  safety. 

]n  these  invasions  the  Iroquois  followed  the  current  of  the 
Richelieu  River,  which  became  known  as  the  "  Iro(]uois  track." 
They  thus  cut  Canada  in  two.  Lying  in  ambush  about  Lake 
St.  Peter,  they  intercepted  the  fur-trade,  and  menaced  Quebec 
on  the  one  side  as  Montreal  on  the  other.  To  check  them  de 
M(jntmagny  in  1642  built  a  fort  at  the  Richelieu  mouth.  See- 
ing what  a  thorn  in  their  side  it  would  be,  the  shrewd  savages 
fell  upon  it  at  once,  but  were  repulsed.  In  their  retreat  they 
Father  managed  to  carry  off  a  Jesuit  missionary,  Father  Jogues, 

jogues.  whom,  after  a  course  of  merciless  torture,  they  kept 

alive  in  their  lodges.  Through  him  came  Canada  first  in  contact 
with  New  York,  —  then  New  Netherlands.  The  Iroquois,  on  one 
of  their  trading  visits  to  the  Dutch  of  .\lbany,  took  Father  Jogues 
with  them.     The  governor  of  Albany  at  that  time  was  Van  Cor- 


l  The  "  Place  d'Armes,"  in  the  heart  of  Montreal,  occupies  the  scene  of  this 
adventure,  and  commemorates  it. 


Df.STRUCTfOX  01-    THE   HURON  MISSIONS. 


^>5 


lier  —  and  ;ill  future  governors  of  New  York  received  from  the 
Indians  ilie  s.ime  name.  Corkier  helped  the  brave  Jesuit  to 
elude  his  captors,  and  sent  him  home  to  France  ,  whence,  rd'ter 
thrilHng  Paris  with  his  story  and  Iiis  wounds,  ho  hastened  l)ack  to 
Canada  to  court  once  more  the  martyrdom  which  he  had  just 
escaped,  —  and  which  his  zeal  was  afterwards  to  win. 

25.  The  Destruction  of  the  Huron  Missions. — While  the  Iro- 
quois were  threatening  Quebec  and  attacking  \'ille-Marie,  the  Hu- 
ron Missions,  as  we  have  seen,  were  enjoying  a  success  which  lulled 
them  into  false  security.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1648  a  j^arty 
of  Huroi"  braves  from  the  Mission  of  St.  Josepii  descended  the 
Ottawa  au'i  the  St.  Lawrence  with  the  furs  of  their  winter's  himt. 
At  Three  Rivers  they  were  attacked  by  the  Iro(iuois  and  won  a 
victory.  Meanwhile  another  band  of  Iroijuois  had  fallen  on  the 
all  but  defenceless  village.     While  service  was  being 

Father 

held  in  the  little  chapel  the  painteii  butchers  broke  Damei  slain, 
through  the  palisades  and  fell  with  tiieir  hatchets  upon   Mission  de- 
the  children  and  old  men.     The  priest  in  charge  was 
Father   Daniel,  a  resolute  and  fearless  man,  who  -)trove  to  (organ- 
ize some  resistance  on  the  part  of  his  terror-stricken  fiock.     lUit 
he  fell,  riddled  with  arrow.s,  early  in  the  fight.     Seven  Iinndred 
prisoners  were  taken.      A  few  of  the  villagers  fled  ♦^o  the  woods ; 
and  by  sunset  the  station  of  St.  Joseph  was  a  waste  of  saioking 
ashes. 

The  following  spring  witnessed  the  finish  of  the  bloody  work. 
The  decree  of  the  Iroquois  sachems  was  that  the  Hurons  should  be 
wi|)ed  out.     .\  war  party  of  1200  men  entered  the  Huron  region. 
First  vSt.   Ignace  was  surprised,  and  the  inhabitants,  save  those 
reserved  for  torture,  brained  in  their  sleep.     Thirteen  other  villages 
were  burnt,  either  taken  by  storm  or  abandoned  by  Deaths  of 
the  horror-stricken  pen])le.    Then,  in  the  gray  of  dawn,   boeuf^an?'^^ 
St.  Louis  fell ;   and  the  devoted  priests  Br^bneuf  and  ^^lem"*- 
Lalemani  were  made  prisoners.      Enraged  by  their  indomitable 
courage,  the  savages  exhausted  the  last  resources  of  atrocity  in 
torturing  them.     Br^bceuf  was  scalped,  and  boiling  water  poured 


i 

if! 

H^ 


li 


f 


06 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


on  his  head  in  mockery  of  the  rite  of  baptism  ;  but  no  complaint 
escaped  him.  After  other  and  unspeakable  horrors,  both  victims 
were  burned  at  the  stake. 

The  enemy  were  now  within  a  few  miles  of  the  head  Mission, 
the  fort  of  Ste.  Marie  on  the  Wye.  A  band  of  desperate  Hurons 
ste.  Mane  threw  themselves  before  the  tide  of  death,  and  fought 
Huron  cour-  ^^^  ^'^X  ^^''^'>  ^  revival  of  their  ancieru  valour.  The 
**^®"  Iroquois  had  a  certain  dread  of  the  little  cannons  at 

Ste.  Marie,  and  were  not  over-anxious  to  face  them.  Now, 
astonished  at  this  resistance  of  the  Hurons,  they  conceived  .in 
idea  that  all  the  remnants  of  the  ruined  nation  were  gathering  for 
vengeance  ;  and  suddenly  they  retired  from  the  country,  taking 
with  them  such  prisoners  as  were  strori.^  enough  to  carry  burdens, 
and  burning  the  rest.  The  Mission  at  .Ste.  Marie  was  saved  ;  but 
there  was  no  longer  sufficient  reason  for  its  existence.  The  rich 
and  populous  country  of  the  Hurons  was  a  desert.  The  fragments 
of  the  nation  fled  in  terror  to  the  tribes  of  west  and  north,  save 
;t  few  hinulreds  who  took  refuge  on  the  islands  of  Creorgian  Hay. 
To  ftne  of  these  islands  the  Mission  ot  Ste.  Marie  was  removed  ; 
but  the  Iroquois  followed  even  there,  and  fimine  aided  their 
assaults.  At  last  it  was  resolved  to  give  up  the  Lake  country  ; 
The  HuroD  ^^'^  ^^^^'  disheartened  missionaries,  gathering  their 
removed*to  dwindled  l^ock  about  them,  fled  toward  Quebec.  At 
Sorei.  Sorel,  imder  the  very  guns  of  the  fort,  these  trembling 

survivors  of  a  great  people  at  length  found  rest  and  safety.  The 
one  [)ermanent  result  of  the  Huron  Mission,  over  and  above  the 
splendour  which  it  sheds  upon  the  annals  of  the  Jesuits,  was  a 
knowledge  oi  Lake  Superior.  T^ake  Michigan  had  been  dis- 
covered some  years  before  by  the  l)old  interpreter  Jean  Nicollet. 

26.  New  France  and  New  England.  The  Jesuits  and  the 
Iroquois. —  While  (Canada  was  writhing  under  the  scourge  of  the 
Iroquois  tlie  New  England  colonies  had  thriven  with  a  vigorous 
growth ;  and  about  the  time  of  the  founding  of  Vilie-Marie  they 
had  formed  themselves,  for  purposes  of  defence,  into  a  confed- 
eration called  "  The  United  Colonies  of  New  England."      This 


■Jill'.  IROQUOIS  SCOURGE 


(^7 


done,  they  turned  tlieir  eyes  upon  the  St.  Liwrence  valley,  and 
proposetl  to  d'AilUbonst  (who  had  succeeded  de  Montmagny  as 
governor  in    164S)   a  treaty  of  jjcrpetual  amity  and  Treaty 
trade  between  Canada  and  New  England.     The  pro-   between 
posal  was  received  with  joy.  and  Father  Druilettes  was  New  slig-'* 
sent   10  Boston   to  negotiate.      Hut  Just  at  this  time  **''^- 
Canada  was  being  deluged  with  the  I)lood  of  the  Hurons  and  her 
taithful  priests.     She  therefore  made  it  a  condition  of  the  treaty 
that    New  England   should  join  her  in  a  war  of  extermination 
against  the  Irociuois.     To   this   the   New  Englanders  would  not 
listen.     They  were  at  peace  with  the  Iroquois;  and  Failure  of  ne- 
they  minded  the  adage  to  let  sleeping  dogs  lie.     The  eotiations. 
result  of  Druileltes's  embassy  was  not  peace  but  war,  for  the  Iro- 
quois  were  stirred    up  to  a  yet  fiercer  flame  of  hate.     At  the 
same  time  the  sagacious  priest  won  over  the  strong  tribe  of  the 
Abenakis,  who  were  thenceforth  unswerving  in  their  devotion  to 
the  French,  and  a  bitter  torment  to  the  Puritan  settlements. 

For  the  next  i^v^  years  the  French  were  practically  shut  up  in 
Quebec  and  Three  Rivers,  no  less  than  in  Montreal.  The  woods 
about  their  lonely  settlements  were  never  free  from  the  tomahawk  ; 
and  many  a  French  scalp  was  borne  in  triumph  to  the  lodges  by 
the  side  of  Lake  Cham])kiin.  These  were  years  of  The  Iroquois 
anguish  for  Canada.  At  length,  in  1653  and  1654,  ^'^^''^k®- 
the  Iroquois  turned  the  tide  of  their  fury  against  the  tribes  along 
the  south  of  the  Oreat  lakes,  and  for  a  time  relaxed  their  hostility 
to  the  French.  They  were  busy  in  extirpating  the  strong  tribe  of 
the  Fries.  This  task  they  accomplished  with  their  usual  thorough- 
ness, but  not  without  heavy  loss  to  themselves.     One 

'  The  Onon- 

of  their  cantons,  that  of  the  Onondagas,'  became  so  dagas  seek 

peace, 
reduced  that  they  wanted  to  strengthen  themselves  by 

adojjting  the  remnants  of  the  Ilurous.     The  Hurons  were  troubled 


1  As  shown  in  ibe  Appendix,  the  Iroquois  were  a  confederacy  of  five  tribes,  or 
cantons,  —  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  rind  Senecas,  —  whence 
they  were  called  the  Five  Nations.  /\t  a  later  date  they  took  in  the  Tuscuroras, 
and  became  known  as  the  Six  Nations. 


11 


f 


68 


A   J/ISTOKV  OJ    CANADA. 


to  know  how  best  to  meet  these  (lanLjerous  advances.     They  were 

unwilling  to  forsake  the  French,  and  at  the  same  time  they  feared 

to  rebiilT  their  terrible  suitors,      I  hey  (  onsnlUnl  with  the  governor, 

who  advised  them  to  cnnsent  on  (onditioii  that  the  Onondagas 

should  at  the  same  lime  a<lmit  a  Jesvui  mission  to  their  lodges. 

To  tliis  the  Onondagas  agreed. 

The  Jesuits  had  long  been  anxious  to  (jlitinn  a  footliold  among 

the   Iroquois,  hoping  thus  to  release  Canada  from   her   misery. 

After  some  negotiations,  and  a  nreiiminarv   vi.,i!   of 
The  Jesuit  e>  »  i 

mission  tothe  Father  le  M oyne,  an  e.\i)edition  was  at  length  sent  out 
Onondagas . 

to  plant  a  station  in  the  Onondaga  coun'ciy.     Besides 

the  Hurons  who  were  going  to  be  adopted,  there  wtre  the  Jesuit 

Fathers  Chaumonat  and  Dablon,  with  nearly  iifty  I'renchmen  under 

a  brave  oflit  er  named  Dupuy.     The  undertaking  was  a  mad  ont- ; 

but  the  governorship  of  Canada  was  then  in  the  incompetent  hands 

of  de   Lauson.     The  expedition  excited  the  jealous 
Tbe  jealousy 

of  the  Mo-  wrath  of  the  Mohawks,  who  attacked  it  soon  after  it 
hawks. 

had   left   (Quebec.     They  were    l)eaten  off,  however, 

and  had  to  make  profuse  apologies  and  cm  uses  to  the  indignant 
Onondagas.  Then,  to  show  that  it  was  ouly  agamst  their  ancient 
enemies,  the  Hurons.  that  they  had  aimed  iheir  attack,  they 
(descended  upon  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  and  slew  or  captured  all  the 
Hurons  whom  they  found  working  in  li)o  fields.  With  their 
]>risoners  in  full  view,  and  in  l)road  daylight  they  paddled  jjast 
the  walls  of  Quebec,  shouting  Uieir  songs  of  victory,  and  daring 
the  French  tothe  rescue.  This  insult  de  Lauson  ut  .ikly  pocketed  ; 
and  French  prestige  sank  in  shame. 

For  a  little  while  all  went  smoothly  in  the  Onondaga  country, 
but  soon  signs   of  danger   began  to   thicken.     The   liandful   of 

Frenchmen,  alone  amid  the  hordes  of  their  fierce  anil 
Escape  of  the 

Onondaga  fickle  entertainers,  knew  that  a  thousand  knives  were 
mission. 

perpetually  itching  for  their  scalps.     At  length  they 

got  wind  of  a  ])lot  to  destroy  them,  after  which  the  whole  five 
nations  of  the  Iroquois  were  to  rise  together  and  stamp  out  the 
French  name  from  the  St.  I-awrence  valley.     Then  a])peared  the 


[.AVAl.    CO.U/'.S    TO    CANADA. 


69 


courage  and  ability  of  Dupiiy,  \vhos«;  rescue  of  his  little  command 
forms  one  of  the  most  lirilliant  achievtments  of  those  stirring  days. 
Inside  the  fort,  with  the  utmost  secrecy,  some  vt-ry  light,  flat- 
bottomed  boats  were  built.  TiKMi  all  the  Onondagas  were  invited 
to  a  great  feast.  So  lavish  ot  their  hospitality  were  tlie  l-'rcnchmon 
that  before  the  end  of  the  baiKiuet  the  gorged  and  rlrimken  guests 
were  .sunk  in  sleep.  At  the  approach  of  dawn,  tiie  Frenchmen 
stole  away,  carrying  their  boats.  It  was  March,  and  the  ice  was 
thin.  They  were  able  to  force  a  pas.sage  down  the  Oswego  River  ; 
but  the  frail  bark  canoes  of  their  enemies  could  not  follow  them. 
The  voyage  from  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego  down  the  St.  lawrence 
to  Quebec  was  one  of  peculiar  peril,  at  that  season  and  in  those 
flat  skiffs,  but  it  was  triumphantly  accomplished.  In  a  short  time 
Father  le  Moyne,  who,  with  his  life  in  his  hands,  had  been  work- 
ing among  the  Mohawks,  returned  in  despair  to  Quebec  ;  and  the 
Iroquois,  scattering  to  the  winds  theii  brief  i)retence  of  peace, 
hunted  again  like  wolves  through  the  trembling  settlements. 

27.    Laval.     DoUard.  —  Ville- Marie  was  not   nourishing  under 
its  parent  company,  so  in   1658  the  .Society  of  Notre  Dame  de 
Montreal  handed  it  over  to  the  care  of  a  powerful  and   viUe-Marie 
wealthy  organization,  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpicins.   to theSuip[- 
An  energetic  Sulpician  Father,  the  Abbe  de  Queylus,   "^"* 
was  sent  out  to  ViUe-Marie,  where  he  established  the  long-intended 
seminary.     It  was  now  proposed  to  raise  Canada  into  a  bishopric  ; 
and  it  had  doubtless  been  the  intention  when  de  Queylus  was  sent 
out  that  this  honour  should  fall  upon  him.     But  the  indei)endent 
and  somewhat  liberal  .Abbe  i)roved  by  no  means  acceptable  to  the 
Jesuits,  who  sticceeded  in  preventing  his  appointment.     The  glori- 
ous record  which  they  had  made  in  Canada  entitled  their  wishes 
to  respect,  and  when  they  nominated  to  the  high  and  difficult  office 
a  priest  of  their  own  views,  the  nomination  was  accepted.     But 
Quebec  was  not  made  an  episcopal  sec.     After  long  Laval  comes 
dispute,  Franvois  de  Laval,  Abb^  de  Montigny,  was  t<'Ca^a<»a- 
consecrated  bishop  of  Petraea  and  sent  out  as  the  I'ope's  vicar 
apostolic  to  take  control  of  the  Church  in  Canada.     lie  was  an 


1  I 


II! 


M 


Ml! 


s    i 


70 


A    //.^TOAV   or  CtXAlKI. 


T&e  atiguiRb 
of  Cauada. 


iron  usretic,  situ  ere,  passionately  devoted  to  his  work,  but  narrow 
and  doujint'(  i  inj^. 

And  now  the  boldness  of  the  Troqiiois  increasetl.  To  show  their 
scorn  of  thi;  i'rench  they  sralped  and  '.luiglitered  beneath  the 
very  rainparts  of  (^liit  bee.  Fin(hng  their  stone  convents  no  longer 
enough  jirutectiuu,  tlie  Ursulines  ami  the  Hospital  nuns  ileil  into 
the  city.  Destruction  i.ecnied  to  hang  low  over  \\\\- 
hap|>y  Canada.  I'hose  who  could  returned  to  Kraiu  r, 
despairing  of  better  days.  .Among  those  who  remained  a  malig- 
n:uit  fever  broke  out.  Men  imagined  they  saw  in  the  skies 
strange  jjortents,  ominous  of  doom  ; — l)lazing  canoes,  and  men 
wresthng  with  serpents.  Their  ears  heard  shrieks  and  lamenta- 
tions ;  and  in  reading  the  chronicles  of  that  day  it  seems  to  us 
as  if  the  long  anguish  hail  warped  the  fibre  of  men's  minds. 
D'Argenson,  the  governor,  imable  to  look  upon  the  misery  which 
he  had  no  power  to  relieve,  demanded  his  recall. 

In  this  grievous  time  took  ])lace  one  of  the  most  splendid  epi- 
sodes in  our  history.  Among  the  names  i>\  the  heroes  of  Canada 
abides  imperishably  that  of  Daulac  des  Ormeaux,  familiarly  known 
The  heroism  '^^  DolUird.  This  young  nobleman's  name  had  suf- 
01  Uoiiard.  fered  a  stain  in  France.  Me  came  to  Montreil  in 
search  of  an  opportunity  for  some  deed  that  would  wipe  out  the 
reproach.  .\t  length  word  reached  the  settlement  that  a  great 
war  party  was  on  its  way  down  the  Ottawa  to  e.xterminrite  \'ill<- 
Marie.  DoUard,  with  sixteen  comrades,  vow'^<l  co  shatter  the 
wave  ere  it  broke  on  the  city,  and  to  restore  respect  for  French 
valour.  Tl  ey  took  the  sacrament  together,  and  wtnt  forth  to  the 
fate  of  Thermopvla;.  Nor  was  this  new  Thermopyla?  icss  glorifjus 
than  that  immortal  one  of  old.  With  a  handful  of  Huron  and 
Algonquin  allies  they  ascended  the  Ottawa,  and  entrenched  them- 
selves in  the  rums  of  an  old  stockade  at  the  pass  of  the  l-ong  Sault 
rapids.  Seven  hundred  yelling  Iroquois  swooped  upon  them,  and 
were  beaten  back.  Appalled  at  the  terrific  odds,  most  of  Dol- 
lard's  Indians  forsook  him.  But  one  .Mgonquin  chief,  and  a  half- 
score  of  the  more  warlike  Hurons,  stood  faithful.    Men  were  these 


!!.. 


/)/SSFXS/ON.'>   IN  Ql'KBEC. 


n 


savnges,  of  the  old.  heroic  pattern.     Fr>r  three  days,  —  bnrninp; 

with   thirst.  I'or   there  was  n»)  spring'  in  the  tint.--  tainting  with 

hunger.  \>r  tliere  w.ts  no  time  to  eat,  —  ga-.piiig  with  exhaiibtioii, 

for  llie  foe  allowed  them  no  respite,  these  heroes  held  tin-  pass  ; 

ami  the  bodies  of  the   Iroquois  were   piled  so  deep   l)efore   them 

that  tlie  j)alisades  ceased  to  be  a  sheltiM.     Not  till  all  v. ere  slam 

but  five,  ;ind  these  ii\  .•  helpless  with  wounds,  diil  the  enemy  win 

their  way  in.     (^i  tin  five,  four  died  at  once  ;  and  the  last,  having 

life  enough  left  to  make  it  worth  whiL',  was  toiin 'd.     Hut  the 

Iroqut  is  hat!   been  taught  a  lesson.     'I'hey  slunk   back  to  their 

lotlges  ,  and  Montreal  drew  bn\uh  awhile  \\\  p'^-^ee. 

28.    Dissensions   in   Quebec.      The   Great    iiarthqual^  a.  —  In 

the  year  »^.it  followed  this  deed  of  chivalry.  th.«  1,  w  governor, 

d'.\vaug*)Ui,  made  a  tour  of  Canavia.     l)'.\vaugoiu  was   Disputes 

f'M  of  energ) ,  h'>t-tempercd,  and  obstinate.     I. aval  A\\i\   hfshotfand"' 

he,  lK)th  dictatorial,  soon  .piarrelled.     I.aval  "laimed   ^^e  governor. 

precedence  and  auihoritj  m  all  things,  as  representing  the  su[)reme 

l-ower  of  the  Church.     Such  extravagant  claims  d'.'Xvaugour  v.as 

not  the  man  to  grant.     At  length,  over  the  abuse  of  the  liquor 

tratfic.  came    m  open  ru})ture.     For   .some  years  this  traffic,  so 

deadly  ti'  tlic  Indians,  had  been  allowed  under  severe  limitations. 

Laval,  alive  to  its  iniquity,  resolved   to  stamp  it  out.     He  got  a 

law  passed  making  it  death  to  sell  brandy  to  the  Indians.     As  in 

(^hampl. tin's  day,  the  tiadcrs  were  enraged  at  the   interference. 

They  ccuild  get  more  furs  tor  their  brandy  than  for  the  same  value 

in  any  other  .irticle  of  trade.     D'.Avaugour  enforced  the  law  with 

military  strictness.     Two  men  were  shot  for  transgressing  it.     At 

length  a  woman  was  caught  in  the  same  offence  ;  and  she,  too, 

was  to  suffer  the  same  penalty.     But   the  Jesuits  demanded  her 

])ardon,  and  persisted  till  the  governor  lost  all  iiatience.     He  par- 

iloned  the  woman  ;  but  vowed  at  the  same  time  that  he  wcnild 

punish  no  more  breaches  of  that  lav.     At  once  the   , 

Laval  goes 

settlement  ran  riot.     Brand  v  flowed  everywhere.     T'he   back  to 

France, 
jieople,  feeling  themselves  at  last  set  free  from  the  hard 

supervision  of   the    Church,  laughed  at   the   bishop's    thunders. 


li   I 


I 


I.  A'- 

;.  i 


1 


ill 


i 


I 


I 


•     3  J 

\  < 


72 


J    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


Quebec,  was  divided  into  two  ramps ;  and  Laval,  no  longer  able 

to  make  his  influence  felt,  carried  home  his  complaint  to  the  King. 

About  this  time  l*ierre  Boucher  was  sent  to   I'Vance  (October, 

i66r)  to  make  known  the  desperate  condition  of  the  colony,  and 

to  appeal  for  aid.     In  the  I'ollowing  year  he  addressed  to  ('olbert 

a  letter  describing  the  resources,  ijoiiulation,  and  needs 
Boui;her's  °  '  1     1 

report  to  of  ( 'anada.  The  French  in  all  Canada  numbered  a 
Colbert.  ,.    ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  •    ■       ^      , 

little  over  two  thousand  souls,  a  third  of  whom  were 

in  Quebec  itself  The  climate  and  products  of  the  country  were 
extolled.  It  was  shown  hcnv  many  had  amassed  wealth  in  the 
colony,  afterwards  going  home  to  France  to  spend  it.  T)ie  one 
thing  needed,  in  Boucher's  view,  was  a  regiment  of  skilled  soKliers 
to  bring  the  Iro(]uois  under  subjection.  This  letter  bore  fruit. 
It  turned  the  eyes  of  Franco  seriously  upon  Canadian  affairs.  It 
The  New  was  seen  that  the  Company  of  the  Ilundretl  Associates 
?hwter°^'*  had  neglected  its  duty  shamefully,  had  concerned 
revoked.  itself  altogether  with  the  profits  of  the  fur-trade,  and 

had  utterly  failed  to  fulfil  the  terms  of  its  charter.  The  charter 
was  therefore  revoked  by  royal  edict  (1663).  A  certain  Mon- 
sieur Dumont  was  sent  to  Canada  co  examine  into  atfairs ;  and 
with  him  went  a  hundred  soldiers  and  some  two  hundred 
colonists. 

The  year  that  saw  the  revocation  of  the  charter,  saw  Canada 
shaken  by  a  series  of  earthquakes.  The  disturbances  l)egan  in 
February.  Their  centre  seemed  to  be  the  Laurentide  hill  region 
The  great  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  shocks  were  most 
earthquakes,  freqjiem:  and  violent  about  the  weird  Saguenay  dis- 
trict;  but  they  extended  all  tne  way  south  into  New  England. 
The  ice  in  the  rivers,  at  that  time  three  or  four  feet  thick,  was 
crumliled  into  fragments.  At  Tadousac  fell  an  inch  of  volcanic 
ash  ;  and  smoke-clouds  belched  from  the  river  before  Quebec. 
Gusts  of  hot  air  melted  the  midwinter  snow.  The  earth  uttered 
monstrous  noises,  now  booming  like  artillery,  now  crackling  and 
rattling  like  mu.sket  fire,  now  roaring  like  an  incoming  tide.  The 
soil  undulated,  bells  rang,  chimneys  fell,  walls  were  rent   apart, 


rHK    GREAT  EARTHQUAKES. 


n 


and  strange  meteors  shot  across  the  sky.  In  the  valley  of  the 
St.  Maurice,  above  Tliree  Rivers,  mountains  fell  into  the  channel 
and  the  courses  of  streams  were  changed.  The  shore  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  itself,  from  Cape  Tourmente  down  to  Tadousac,  was 
much  altered.  .\t  a  spot  ever  since  called  I.es  Eboulements, 
near  Bay  St.  Paul,  a  high  promontory  nearly  a  mile  in  extent  was 
hurled  from  its  base,  to  form  a  new  island  in  the  river.  Men 
sickened  with  superstitious  fear.  All  through  that  summer 
e.Khalations  of  poisonous  gas  reeked  from  the  ground.  And  it 
was  not  till  autumn  that  the  vexed  earth  recovered  her  calm. 


i  ! 


3    \ 


II    i 


M  5  i 


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Ill  I 


if'     < 


hi 


:  \ 


, 


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I    1 


CHAPTER   Vr. 

SECTIONS:     -   29.    THK    SOVKRKKJN    COUNCII.  :     ANt)   LANO-HOLDING 

IN  Canada.  30.  Talon  comes  to  Canada.  The  English 
sKizK  New  York.  31".  Die  Tracy  comes  to  Canada,  and  the 
Iroquois  are  chastlsi-.d.     32.  New  France  reaches  out  to 

THE     MlSSLSSIl'M     AND     HCDSON     BaY,     AND     SECURES    HER    HoLD 

UPON  Lake  Ontario. 

29.   The  Sovereign  Council ;   and  Land-holding  in  Canada.  — 

Canada  was  now  made  a  royal  province  under  the  direct  rule  of 
The  sover-  the  King,  who  deputed  his  authority  to  a  committee  of 
eign  Council,  ^j^,.^.^.  known  as  the  Sovereign  Council.  A  royal  com- 
mission was  sent  out  to  receive  the  oath  of  allegiance  for  the  King, 
and  to  make  new  regulations  for  the  administration  of  justice. 
With  him,  besides  a  hundred  families  of  settlers,  came  de  Mesy, 
the  new  governor-general,  and  Laval,  the  ecclesiastical  superior. 
The  sovereign  council  was  composed  of  the  governor-general, 
the  ecclesiastical  superior  or  bishop,'  and  the  intendant,  who 
had  power  to  add  to  their  number  by  appointing  four  councillors, 
a  chief  clerk,  and  an  attorney-general.  Hie  number  of  these 
additional  councillors  was  afterwards  increased  to  twelve.  The 
intendant  came  to  Quebec  on  tlie  Tclurn  of  ihe  royal  commis- 
sioner u>  I'Vance.  The  first  to  hold  this  office  was  the  sagacious 
and  patriotic  Talon. 

To  the  governor,  as  tlie  King's  representative,  belonged  the 
charge  of  all  military  matters,  the  power  of  war  and  peace.  The 
bishoji  was  supreme  in  matters  belonging  purely  to  the  Church. 

'  Quebec  was  m.-ido  a  bishopric  in  1674  and  Lava!  appointtul  U>  the  see.  It 
was  as  'itular  bishop  of  Pelra'a,  and  vicar  apostolic  of  the  I'ope,  that  lie  had 
come  to  Quebec  in  1651^. 

74 


i. 


!     •. 


FEUDAL    TENURE    OF  LAND. 


The  intendant,  though  ranking  below  the  other  two,  had  in  some 

respects  a  greater  power  and  responsibility.     As  president  of  the 

council  he  held  the  right  to  a  casting  vote  ;  and  in  his   „^     . 

°  °  '  The  division 

direct  control  were  all  civil  affairs,  such  as  police,  trade,  of  authority 

...  f  •       ■  ..M  I    in  Quebec, 

and  administration  of  justice.      Ihe  sovereign  councu 

itself  constituted  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  colony  ;  and  inferior 

courts  were  established  at  Quebec,  Three  Rivers,  and  Montreal. 

'I'he  lands  of  Canada  were  held  in  feudal  tenure;  which  means 

that  the  King  is  regarded  as  the  owner,  and  that  rent  is  paid  to 

him  not  in   money  but   in    military  services.     Large  „ 

,  ■  r  r     y  ,    Fcudal  Teii- 

estates  were   granted  on   this   "  tenure  of  fealty  and  ure  of  lands 

in  Canada, 
homage  "  to  officers  and  nobles,  or  to  organizations 

like  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpicius.  An  important  and  imposing 
ceremony  was  that  at  which  the  lords  of  manors  annually  did 
homage  to  the  King's  representative  at  Quebec.  These  seigneurs, 
as  they  were  called,  had  great  powers  within  their  own  domains. 
They  were  allowed  to  try  and  punish  all  misdemeanours  less  grave 
than  murder  or  treason.  The  seigneurs  subdivided  their  vast 
estates  into  small  holdings,  which  they  let  io  cultivators  of  the 
soil  for  a  small  annual  rental.  These  small  holders,  called  censi- 
taires,  became  the  retainers  of  their  seigneur,  depend-  seigneursand 
ent  on  him  for  protection,  and  compelled  to  do  him  ^ensitaires. 
military  serAice.  They  had  to  grind  their  grain  at  the  seigneur's 
mill,  and  pay  him  a  fourteenth  of  the  product. .  If  lands  were 
sold  from  one  censitaire  to  another,  the  seigneur  was  entitled  to  a 
twelfth  of  the  price  ;  — just  as  the  King  was  entitled  to  a  fifth  of  the 
purchase-money  if  the  seigneur  sold  any  portion  of  his  seigneurie. 
riiese  laws  in  later  days  led  to  troublesome  consequences. 

The  results  of  the  laws  of  inheritance  at  this  time  established 
may  even  now  be  seen  along  the  St.  Lawrence  valley.  In  some 
districts  the  farms  are  but  narrow  ribbons  of  territory,  La^of  in- 
a  few  yards  wide  on  the  river  front,  and  running  back  ••«"**''ce. 
perhaps  a  mile.  The  law  required  both  seigneurs  and  censitaires 
to  leave  their  estates  fairly  divided  among  their  children,  a  sorne- 
wiiat  larger  share,  with  the  title  and  manor-house,  going  to  the 


I 


I       I 


76 


A   J//STOA'y   <)/■•  CAA'^IDA. 


I 


7 


( 


JJ 


'/    > 


rN 

T 


I  * 


! 


Hit 


flclest  son.  As  large  families  soon  came  to  l)e  the  rule  in  Canada, 
estates  giew  small  by  ceaseless  subdivision.  The  dividing  lines, 
naturally,  were  run  at  right  angles  to  the  river,  in  order  that  ail 
might  have  an  etpial  sliare  in  the  advantages  of  a  water-front.  A 
few  small  properties  were  held  dire<t  from  the  king,  en  franc  alien 
as  the  term  went.  Jiut  these  were  inconsideraljle  in  number,  and 
their  proprietors  had  not  the  privileges  or  ranic  of  the  seigneurs.' 

30.  Talon  comes  to  Canada.  The  English  sci/e  New  York. — 
Furlimaleiv  for  ("anad.i,  tlie  liirge-minchni  Colbert  was  now  in 
chargf-  "f  fmancial  affairs  \\\  l^'rance.  Tlie  King,  Louis  XIV,  had 
made  him  comptroller-general  of  the  fmarKes,  at  the  reeommi:;n- 
Coibort,  <lation    of    Rirhclieu's   powerful    succes.sor,   (Jardina! 

Ui^e  WMUn-  M;i/-irin.  Colbert  realized  that  a  new  order  of  things 
dia  Company.  ^(j„i(]  5^,^^  prevail,  uudcr  whicli  the  power  and  pres- 
tige of  Ijiropean  states  would  rome  to  depend  more  largel) 
on  their  colonial  [)ossessions.  He  saw  that  colonization  and 
conunerce  went  hand-in-hand.  For  the  jtosl  of  intendant  at 
(juebec  he  cho^e  Monsieur  'I'alon,  a  man  much  like  himself  tor 
breadth  of  view,  diligent  patriotism,  and  freedom  from  dogmatic 
j)rejudice.  At  the  same  time  (1664)  the  West  India  Company 
was  formed,  with  all  the  trading  privileges  of  Canada  and  Acadie, 
of  the  French  colonies  in  Florida,  Africa,  S(julh  America,  and  of 
the  West  Indies:  This  company  was  under  the  same  [)ledges  ii\ 
regard  to  colonizing  the  land  and  converting  the  natives  as  those 
winch  its  ])redecessor,  the  New  Company  of  the  Hundred  As- 
sociates, had  so  lamentably  failed  to  jjerform.  'J'he  monopoly  of 
the  fur- trade  thus  granted  to  the  \Vcst  India  Company  excited 
vehement  protest  in  Canada,  where  all  the  colonists  were  more  or 
less  interested  in  that  profitable  pursuit.  A  few  years  later,  on 
Talon's  urgent  plea  to  Colbert,  the.se  restrictions  were  removed  as 
far  as  Canada  was  concerned,  the  com[)any  being  compensated  by 
a  fourth  of  all  the  beaver  skins  and  a  twelfth  of  all  the  buffalo 
skins  exported.     The  West  India  Company  proved,  however,  of 

1  l(  Will  not  till  185s  that  the  scigneuries  were  abolished,  the  seigneurs  receiving 
from  the  provincial  gcjvornnicnt  compensation  for  their  ancient  jjrivileges. 


RnAl.RV   OVER    J  ill-:  I' I  R- TRADE. 


77 


no  more   benefit   to    the  colonics    thin   tlio  New  Company  had 

been,  and  in   1674  its  charter  was  levuked. 

One   year  after  the  establishment  of  the  sovereign  council  an 

event  took  j)lace  far  to  the  south,  on  Mauhattati  Islaml  at  the  mouth 

of  the  Hudson  Kiver,  which  was  destined  to  influence  the  destinies 

ol Canada.     Charles  II,  daimint' all  the  Atlantic  coast   „ 

°  New  Amster- 

scMithwanl  to  I'iorida,  granted  the  Dutch  settlements  dam  becomes 

New  York, 
of  the  New  Netherlands  to  his  brother  James,  Duke  of 

York.  'I'hough  lOnj^lancl  anil  llollanrl  were  then  at  peace,  four 
ICnglish  shii)s  i)resenlly  appeared  at  New  Amsterdam,  and  de- 
manded its  surrender.  'I'lic  doughty  old  Dutch  governor,  Stuyve- 
sant,  vvas  for  fight;  but  the  less  warlike  citizens  \>ersuaded  him  to 
accept  the  mild  terms  of  the  lOnglish  captain  —  and  New  Amster- 
dam became  New  York.  'I'he  Dui.  h  settlers  were  secured  in  the 
possession  of  their  own  proi)erty,  tlicir  own  worship,  their  own 
laws  ;  and  they  became  full  Knglish  citizens. 

The  linglish   govcrnirient  of   New  Yoik  at  once  entered  into 
treaty  widi  the  Irocpiois,  and  all  the  cantons  of  the  Five  Nations 

placed  themselves  imder  the  pn^teclioti  (^f  laiL'land's   _ 

'  .  '  ^  The  English 

Kinjf.     This  alliance  was  a  b(.)on  to  the  JOnulish  coio-   aimthuiro- 

"  °  quois. 

nies,  and    in    later   days   a   sleepless   menace  to  the 

l-'rench.  The  shrewd  savages  s  iw  tlu;  strength  of  their  own  posi- 
tion between  the  two  great  rival  races  ;  and  skilfully  they  main- 
tained it.  Though  they  kept  their  treaty  faithfully,  in  the  main, 
yet  on  several  occasions,  l)y  withlidMiiig  their  help  from  the  lOng- 
lish,  they  saved  French  power  truin  being  crushed  They  realized 
that  their  importance  to  the  English  depemleti  on  the  existence 
of  a  French  Canada. 

With  the  presence  of  the  new  power  (m  the  Hudson  there  grew 
up  a  bitter  rivalry  between  the  French  and  English  over  the  fur- 
trade.  The  great  duel  tor  New  World  empire  took  Rivalry  over 
the  ignoble  disguise  of  .1  quarrel  about  beaver  skins.  *•»* *«"'-^''*'"»- 
The  F^nglish  sought  to  divert  the  fur-trade  from  the  St.  T^awrence 
route  to  the  Hiulson ;  and  the  Iroc|uois  mightily  seconded  their 
efforts.     To  all  the  northern  and  western  tribes  who  would  con- 


ii  I 


IT 


"■  w:^a4j  «t-t.-U.  J-  '■Jlilt'^THWI 


• 


ii! 


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!;    i 

li  i 


H 


f 


78 


^    fllSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


sent  to  bring  their  furs  fiown  the  Hudson,  the  Iroquois  turned 
friendly  and  buried  their  hiitchets  deep.  Against  the  tribes  who 
persisted  in  trading  with  the  I''rench,  on  the  other  hand,  these 
shrewd,  red  schemers  made  relentless  war.  'I'he  Knglish,  more- 
over, offered  higher  prices  than  the  French,  and  gave  better  goods 
in  exchange,  till  even  those  half-wild  Frenchmen,  the  Coureiirs 
des  Bois^  at  times  sought  the  more  i)rofitablc  Fnglish  markets. 
By  these  means  Canadian  trade  was  niuch  tlamaged ;  and  a 
hatred  arose  between  the  rival  coloni^^>  which  was  later  to  bring 
ruin  upon  many  a  border  settlement. 

To  .idd  to  the  vexation  of  these  outside  quarrels,  there  was  dis- 
cord within  the  walls  of  Quebec  itself.  Laval  and  the  governor, 
Discord  in  ^^  NK'sy,  were  at  strife  over  questions  of  authority 
Quebec.  ^^^^j  precedence.     It  was  not  long  before  Laval  was 

petitioning  for  de  Mt^sy's  recall,  as  he  had  for  the  recall  of  the 
two  former  g.>vernors.  It  was  clear  that  nothing  short  of  the 
completest  subserviency  could  satisfy  the  demands  of  this  devoted 
but  domineering  bishop.  Before  Laval  could  bring  about  the 
recall  of  his  opponent,  however,  de  Mesy  died ;  and  the  Seigneur 
de  Courcelles  was  appointed  in  his  stead. 

31.  De  Tracy  comes  to  Canada,  and  the  Iroquois  are  chas- 
tised. —  VVHiile  the  quarrel  between  de  Mtisy  and  Laval  was  at  its 

^  „  Iteight,  the   Marquis   de  Tracy  was   sent  out  as  the 

De  Tracy,  °     '  ^  ^ 

and  the  regi-  King's  viceroy.  His  mission  was  to  settle  all  troubles 
ment  of  o  .» 

carignan-  in  Canada  and  the  \V'est  Indies,  and  to  subdue  the 
SaliSres. 

Iroquois.  In  1665  de  Tracy  landed  at  Quebec,  bring- 
ing with  him  not  only  a  number  of  new  colonists,  but  also  the 
famous  regiment  u{  Carignan-Salieres.  Quebec  was  gay  with  mili- 
tary pomp.    De  Tracy  lost  no  time.    Three  forts,  St.  Th^rese,  Sorel," 


1  The  Coureiirs  de%  Bois,  or  Runners  of  ttie  Woods,  were  Frenchmen  who, 
breaking  away  from  ihe  restraint  of  civilized  life,  had  gone  to  live  with  the  Indians, 
to  share  their  freedom,  to  explore  the  wilderness,  and  to  follow  the  fur-trade  witli- 
out  restriction.  This  lawless  life  proved  so  attractive  that  much  of  the  vigorous 
youth  of  Canada  was  led  into  it. 

-  This  was  the  fort  built  in  164a,  and  afterwards  abandoned.  Now  M.  de  Sor'jl 
I  econstructed  it ;  and  from  him  it  took  its  name. 


censitaires 


JESUITS  SPREAD    THEIR  INFLUENCE. 


n 


and  ChAiiibly,  intended  to  hold  back   the  Iroquois,  were  built 

at  strategic  points  on  the  Richelieu.     When  report  went  abroad 

of  the  power  and  invincible  courage  of  the    French  troops  the 

Iroquois  were  deeply  impressed.      Four  of  the  Five  Nations  at 

once  sent  deputies  to  sue  for  peace.     But  the  Mohawks,  fiercest 

of  the  confederacy,  remained  defiant.     A  company  sent  out  to 

scatter  one  of  their  war  parties  fell  into  an  ambuscade,  and  was 

cut  to  pieces. 

In  September  of  the  following  year  de    Tracy  moved  against 

the  Mohawks.     With  him  went  the  new  governor,  de  Courcelles, 

a  brave  and  capable  leader,  a  prudent  administrator,   _      ^    ^. 

*  '  The  chastise- 

to  whose  memorv  New  France  owes  much  reverence,   mentofthe 

Mohawks. 
De  Tracy's  force,  consisting  of  thirteen  hundred  men, 

with  their  aged  but  energetic  commander  borne  on  a  litter  in 

their  midst  (for  he  was  sorely  afflicted  with  gout),  marched  as 

if  in  an   open  country,  with  the  pomp  of  drum    and   trumpet. 

This  was  not  Indian  warfare,  and  in  later  days  would  have  brc»ught 

certain  destruction.     The  Mohawks,  however,  were  daunted  by  the 

martial  display,  and  fled  from  their  towns  at  de  Tracy's  approach. 

rheir  lodges  were  burned  to  the  ground ;  their  stores  of  corn, 

laid  u])  in  pits  for  the  winter,  were  destroyed  or  carried  away ; 

and  the  Mohawk  country  long  remembered  the  visit  of  de  Tracy. 

The  lesson  was  not  lost  upon  the  other  tribes  of  the  Iroquois; 

and  (,'anada  for  more  than  twenty  years  had  peace. 

The  French  missionaries  now  went  freely  among  the  Iroquois, 

made   many  converts,  and  gradually  gained  no  small  hold  upon 

this  haughty   people.     More  daring   than  soldier  or 

,  .  ,  ,  The  Jesuits 

trader,  other  priests  penetrated  tiie  wdd  regions  north   spread  their 

*"  influence, 

of  Lake  Superior,  and  made    French    influence    felt 

from  the  Illinois  to  Lake  Winnipeg,     A  permanent  Mission  wis 

established  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  and  another  at  Michilimackinac, 

on  the  northern  point  of  the  peninsula  between  Lakes  Huron  and 

Michigan.     I'he  regiment  of  Carignan-Salieres  was  now  disbanded, 

its  officers  becoming  seigneurs  with  large  estates,  and  the  privates 

censitaires  on  their  seigneuries.     The  regiment  was  planted  along 


■^^'■W'i 


A 


mm 


,i     ! 


I      I 


iii! 


1 

< 

IJ 

j 

1 

1  ill 


80 


,/    //AS  70 A' K  C*/'  CANADA. 


the  Richelieu  and  the  south  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  right  in 
the  track  of  the  Iro(]nois  raids,  to  be  the  bulwark  of  Canada. 

Under  the  wise  supervision  of  Talon,  whose  memory  should 
be  honoured  from  Ontario  to  the  Gulf,  the  condition  of  the  colony 
Talon's  wise  Swiftly  improved.  The  forms  yielded  abundantly,  and 
managemcni.  g^.^jers  lived  in  much  material  comfort.  Talon  set 
those  colonists  who  were  safely  established  to  the  work  of  clearing 
lots  and  buiMinu;  cottages  adjoining  their  own.  These  he  held 
ready  for  the  occupation  of  newer  immigrants.  He  looked  care- 
fully into  the  mineral  resources  of  the  country,  and  discovered  the 
rich  iron  deposits  of  the  Three  Rivers  district.  Against  the 
bishop  and  the  Jesuits  he  had  some  complaints  to  make,  because 
they  ob>;iructed  his  efforts  to  civilize  the  Christian  Indians. 
Helieving  that  the  colony  should  not  be  wholly  dependent  on  the 
Jesuits  for  its  reli  ;ious  guidance,  he  procured  from  the  King  per- 
mission to  bring  lack  the  Rtlicollets  ;  and  in  1670  he  reestablished 
four  of  the  gray -gowned  Fathers  in  their  old  monastery  on  the 
St.  Charles, 

All  through  his  administration  Talon  exerted  himself  to  procure 

in  France  suitable  wives  for  his  colonists,  and  as  many  as  twelve 

hundred  eirls  were  shipped  to  Canada  between  166"; 
Importation  o       .  t  i  j 

of  wives  for  and  1 670.  These  girls,  as  a  rule,  were  selected  with 
the  colonists.  '  1  ,,      .  , 

great  care,  and  usually  from  the  country  rather  than 

the  city,  country  girls  being  lound  best  adapted  to  the  rough  life 
of  a  new  land.  Each  girl  on  her  marriage  —  and  the  weddings 
took  place  in  batches  of  thirties  as  soon  as  possible  after  the 
coming  of  each  ship-load  —  received  a  generous  dowry  from  the 
King,  with  which  to  begin  her  housekeeping.  Young  men  refus- 
ing to  marry  were  made  to  feel  the  royal  displeasure,  and  were 
not  allowed  to  hunt,  fish,  or  trade.  Under  these  conditions 
bachelorhood  became  inconvenient  in  Canada,  and  presently  un- 
common. In  the  year  1667  an  event  took  place  which  showed 
that  the  long-harassed  land  was  passing  into  the  humour  of  con- 
tent. The  first  ball  on  record  in  Canada  was  given  in  the  city  of 
Quebec,  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  February. 


VOYAGE   OF  MAHQUEITE   AND  JOI.UET, 


8l 


33.  New  France  reaches  out  to  the  Mississippi  and  Hudson  Bay, 
and  secures  her  Hold  upon  Lake  Ontario.  —  In  the  year  of  the 
recall  of  the  Rt^tollets,  tht;  governor  scut  out  one  Nicholas  Perrot. 
a  daring  explorer  much  skilled  in  th{  Indian  dialect.),  uichoiaa  Per- 
to  gather  the  western  tr-ibes  to  a  conference.  Pcrrot  western***' 
went  through  the  I.ake  Superior  region,  and  down  *"''^*- 
Lake  Michigan  to  the  spot  where  now  stands  Chicago.  This  was 
the  centre  of  the  strong  Miami  tiibo.  Early  in  the  next  year  a 
throng  of  delegates  met  at  Sauit  Ste.  Marie,  where  the  King's 
commissioner  explained  to  them  tliat  they  were  all  taken  under 
the  rcjyal  protection.  The  whole  i  -ake  region  was  then  formally 
annexed  to  France.  On  this  expedition  I'errot  was  told  by  the 
Indians  of  a  vast  river  flowing  southward,  which  they  called 
M^chasebe  or  Mississippi,  "  The  Father  of  Waters."  The  tidings 
impressed  Talon.  The  untiring  \\\k\  unterrified  priest,  Father 
Marquette,  and  a  merchant  explorer  named  Jolliet,  were  promptly 
despatched  to  seek  the  mighty  stream.  Visions  of  Cathay  still 
daz^led  the  imaginations  of  men  ;  and  they  thought  this  new 
river  might  [^rove  the  path  thereto. 

The  explorers,  with  a  handful  of  followers,  made  their  way  to 

the  north-west  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.     In  two   canoes    they 

ascended  the  Fox  River  to  its  source,  made  a  portage  „^ 

'  The  voyage 

to  the  head  waters  of  a  tributary  of  the  >\  isconsiu,   of  Marquette 

and  Jolliet. 
paddled  down  with  the  current,  and  on  June  17th, 

1673,  came  out  on  the  ample  breast  of  the  Mississippi.  For  a 
month  they  descended  the  great  water,  passing  the  mouths  of  the 
Illinois,  the  Missouri,  tlieOhio,  and  were  hospitably  received  by  the 
tribes  along  the  shore.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  they  met  Ind- 
ians armed  with  muskets  and  wearing  garments  of  cloth,  which 
showed  that  they  had  been  trading  with  the  English  setdements 
of  the  coast.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  the  savages  were 
hostile,  and  our  little  band  of  explorers  had  a  half-hour  of  peril ; 
but  the  tact  of  Marquette  and  Jolliet  melted  this  fierce  mood  into 
one  of  cordial  welcome,  and  instead  of  slaughter  came  feastings 
and  the  pijie  of  peace.     At  this  point,  however,  the  explorers  de- 


-fj 


82 


/^   nt STORY  OF  CANADA. 


"    i 


\\ 


N 


h  'I  I 


cided  to  turn  bai:k,  hearing  that  thf  tribes  below  were  dangerous. 
They  had  come  to  suspect  that  the  river  emptied  into  the  dulf 
of  Mexiro  instead  of  tht-  Pacific  ;  and  they  were  not  anxious  to 
visit  the  Spanish  settlements.  The  return  voyage  was  made  by 
ascending  the  Illinois  River  and  i  rossing.  over  to  the  waters  ol" 
Lake  Michigan;  and  al)ont  the  end  of  September  they  regained 
the  (Jreen  l:iay  Mission  when<:e  they  had  made  tlieir  start.  Less 
than  two  years  later  Marquette  vlied  in  the  wilderness,  worn  out 
by  his  self-sarnfieing  toil. 

While  I'alon  was  extending  his  power  westward,  he  was  not 
unmindful  of  the  north  with  its  wealth  of  fish  and  furs.  In  \(,'^\ 
Talon  sends  1^^'  s^-^^  ^  party  under  Father  Albanel  to  seek  Hudson 
po8se']sion  o(  I^^iy  W  the  way  of  the  Saguenay.  The  party  wintered 
Hudson  Bay.  j^  j|.,^.  Saguenay  district,  and  then  descended  the  River 
Xepiscaw  from  the  mystic  Lake  Mistassinni,  till  they  came  out 
upon  the  vast  northern  sea.  Here  they  convened  representatives 
of  many  Hudson  Bay  tribes ;  and  Father  Albanel,  erecting  a 
cross  with  the  royal  arms  upon  it,  tuok  formal  possession  of  the 
countrv. 

While  Talon  was  at  this  time  the  good  genius  of  Canada,  the 
colony  was  also  fortunate  in  having  de  Courcelles  for  governor. 
De  Courcelles  cared  little  for  the  internal  progress  of  Canada,  but 
iie  cared  greatly  for  her  military  prestige.  By  his  justice  and  his 
fearlessness  he  kept  his  Indians  under  control,  and  the  Iroquois 
themselves  were  unwilling  to  join  issue  with  him.  But  these  war- 
like tribes  were  growing  restless  under  the  restraints  of  the  unac- 
De  courceUes  f-ustomed  peace.  Oe  Courcelles  decided  on  a  step 
atcataracom.  ^yj^jf.)^  would  give  them  something  to  think  about, 
while  at  the  same  time  making  his  grip  upon  them  firmer.  He 
invited  the  chiefs  of  all  the  cantons  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace 
with  him  at  a  place  called  Cataracoui,  near  the  foot  of  Lake 
Ontario.  There  he  flattered  the  envoys  with  his  gifts  and  his 
gracious  compliments,  while  impressing  them  with  a  sense  of 
his  invincible  resolution.  At  length  he  announced  to  them  his 
intention   of  building   a   fort   at   the   place  of  conference,  that 


Dh   COURCELLES  AT  CATAKACOUl. 


tlie  western  members  of  their  confederacy  might  the  more 
easily  trade  with  his  people.  Presented  in  this  light,  the  plan 
was  highly  pleasing  to  the  sachems  ;  but  later,  when  war  again 
broke  out,  they  realized  the  significance  and  purpose  of  the  fort 
at  Cataracoui. 


■f 


<    F 


;  i  t 


CHAinKR    VII. 

SIXTiONS :  — 33,   FiKiNTENAC    coMKS    ro   CA\.\r)A.      La    Sai.lk. 
}.[,  FiioNiENAc's  KI'X'ALL;  an'I)  I, A  IIakkks  [■  Oi.i.v.     35.  Denon- 

VILLK,     DoNCiAN,    AND    'iHK     ll<0(.U'Oli.        36.     K()\Ul  VKDNK.     "rilK 

Kat,"  kills  iiiK  Tkace.    Thi:  Lachink  Massai:ki:. 


V 


1:  il  ) 


33.  Frontenac  comes  to  Canada.  La  Salle.  —  I)e  Courccllcs 
having  asked  for  release  from  his  command,  on  account  of  broken 

health,  he  was  sucteeded  by  one  whose  strong  ficure 
Louis  de  '  ,  ,    ,  b      b 

Buade,  Count  stands  larKe  and  si)lendid  in  our  story.  Louis  de  nuide, 
of  Frontenac  °  r    ,      ,  •    , 

Coimt  of  trontenac,  was  a  man  of  the  highest  (•onnic,'!.-, 

determination,  and  energy.  To  Canada  he  gave  a  whole-souled 
devotion.  The  Indians  dreaded  him  profoundly;  while  the  cour- 
tesy of  his  bearing  won  their  friendship.  During  his  rule  even 
the  lro(iuois  were  afraid  to  lift  the  hatchet.  In  matters  of  civil 
government  Frontenac  showed  some  serious  defects  ;  but  these 
cannot  lessen  the  re\trence  due  to  his  memory.  He  had  that 
rash  imporiousntss  which  so  often  mars  a  forcelul  character.  He 
could  ejidure  no  oj'position,  no  questioning  of  his  judgment  and 
authority.  Soon  after  his  arrival  the  sagac:ious  Talon  asked  to  he 
recalled.  Doubtless  he  discerned  this  fault  in  Frontenac,  and 
dreaded  a  coullict.  \N'ith  the  new  intendant,  Duchesneau,  the 
fiery  governor  was  soon  at  swords'  points ;  and  with  Laval,  no  less 
die  tatorial  than  himself,  his  qiLirrels  grew  to  be  an  open  scandal. 

The  proposed  building  of  a  fort  at  Cataracoui  met  with  Fronte- 
nac's  fullest  approval ;  and  as  soon  as  possible  after  his  coming  he 
went  in  person  to  superintend  the  work.  High  in  his  favour  stood 
one  who  sheds  the  ro.sedight  of  romance  upon  our  pages,  the  gal- 
lant and  adventurous  La  Salle.     He  had  come  to  Canada  some 

84 


L...L. 


fOh'r   FACKV7'£.V.'tC. 


85 


years  hcf  ire,  filled  with  the  oM,  alluring  'Iream  of  a  pass:\j,'('  to 
(Cathay.  I'.irily  to  gratify  his  lestlessiii'ss,  partly  to  f,imiliari/,e  liim- 
sell"  with  the  h  ibils  luid  speech  of  the  tril)i.'s  whose  help  he  would 
need,  partly  to  gun  hv  the  fur-trade  means  to  carry  on  his  enter- 
prise, he  ha<l  disappe  ired  from  civilization  for  a  time  and  dwelt 
anion^  thi.  Indians.  Had  he  Ix'en,  indeed,  a  personage  less  dis- 
tinguished, he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  called  a  Coiurin-  dts 
Bois.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  discovered  the  Ohio  River.  Vvow\ 
the  Sulpicians,  with  whom  he  had  strong  influence,  he  obtained  an 
est;ite  at  the  west  end  of  Montreal  Isl:md,  where  he  planted  a  set- 
tlement. '!"  •;  settlement,  probably  in  allusion  to  or  in  ilerision  of 
his  search  fo.  a  passage  to  Chinu,  [iresetuly  came  to  be  known  as 
liachuu'. 

The  fort  at  Cataracoui,  henceforth  known  as  Fort  Frontenac, 
was  granted  to  La  S.dle  soon  after  its  constriution,  he  refumiing 
to  the  governor  its  full  cost.     The  grant  conveyed  also 

Sieur 

a  large  tract  of  land,  with  the  usual  responsibilities  and   de  la  saUe 

...  r       f.   11  1  1       /•  1-1        6trL'nj;thens 

privileges.     l,a  Salle  tore  down  the  fort  and  raistd  a  FoitFronte- 
r  ,,M         1      .       •     1   I  ■         I,-      .  I      nacand builds 

stronger  one  of  stone.      Ihen  he  busied  himselt  with   8hip.<»  on  the 

clearing  lands  and  building  small  ships  for  the  L.ike 
trade.  In  1679  he  built  a  ship  on  Lake  Krie,  called  the  Grif- 
fin, in  which  he  sailed  to  the  Green  Bay  Mission  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan. From  that  point  he  sent  the  ship  back  richly  laden  with  furs. 
But  she  came  not  to  her  destination.  The  fate  of  the  ill-starred 
craft  and  all  her  wealth  remains  a  mystery. 

Wrapped  up  with  that  of  La  Salle  is  the  name  of  his  loyal  com- 
rade and  fellow-explorer,  Henry  de  Tonti,'  who  was  his  very  right 
arm  in  all  his  greatest  achievements.  It  was  not  till  1682  that 
La  Salle  was  able  to  carry  out  his  main  purpose.  Crossing  over 
from  the  foot  of  Lake  Michigan,  he  descended  the  current  of  the 
Illinois.     Early  in  February  his  canoes  came  out  on  the  Mississippi, 

1  Tonti,  before  coming  to  Canada,  had  lost  a  hand  in  batfit;.  The  place  of  the 
missing  inenil)er  was  supplied  by  one  of  steel,  which  wa.s  alway.s  kept  covered  with 
;i  fjlove.  The  blows  which  Tonti,  in  time  of  need,  could  deliver  with  this  iron 
iund,  were  a  source  of  wondering  awe  tu  the  Indians. 


!T 


mm 


HWQMMP 


«4 


I    r 


M 


1 

<    i 

1 

1 

i 

a 

'  i 

;  1 

M 

f      i 

*      ( 

» 

' 

i 

1 

1 

'i 

t 

:|l 

1 

/4    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


ami  turned  their  yellow  prows  to  the  south.  The  tribes  along 
the  banks  were  som;?times  friendly,  sometimt's  hostile ;  but  in  the 
latter  case  the  broad  stream  gave  him  plenty  of  room  to  escape  their 
arrows  and  their  bullets.  As  the  explorers  slipped  swiftly  down 
He  descends  the  tiile  tlu'v  emerged  from  winter  into  spring,  then 
si'ppUoVtV  '"^^^  *^''*^  K^ow  and  luxuriance  of  summer.  On  the 
mouth.  j^^Ij  ^f-  ]yi;|i.f.]^  ti^(;y  reached  the  Mississippi  mouth. 

The  country  they  had  traversed  was  annexed  to  France  in  due 
form,  under  the  musical  name  of  Louisiana.  The  return  voyage, 
against  the  stream,  was  difficult,  anil  many  delays  were  encount- 
ered ;  so  that  it  was  not  till  the  spring  of  r683  that  La  Salle 
got  back  to  Quebec.      Thence,  in  the  flush  of  his  triumph,  he 

went  home  to  France,  where  the  flxvours  of  the  court 
He  leads  an 
•expedition  to    were  heaped  upon  him.     Under  his  leadership  a  strong 

the  Missis-  '^  ...  .  t.       ,     , 

sippi  mouth  expedition  was  sent  out,  sniluii;  irom  Rochelle,  to 
by  sea. 

reach  the  Mississippi  mouth  by  way  of  the  sea  and 

there  establish  a  colony.  But  La  Salle  had  miscalculated  the 
position  of  the  river,  and  he  sailed  his  party  some  hundreds  of 
miles  beyond  it.  Deeply  chagrined,  he  led  a  little  band  ashore, 
and  started  eastward  to  seek  by  land  the  object  of  hi.s  quest.  Be- 
fore long  he  got  involved  in  that  pathless  tangle  of  torost,  swamp, 
and  sluggish  water-courses,  which  de  Soto  in  an  earlier  day  had 

found  so  fatal.  In  the  heart  of  this  dre.id  wilder- 
His  death. 

ness  La  Salle's  followers  mutinied,  hating  him  for  his 

stern  discipline  ;  and  the  great  explorer  died  miserably  under  their 

vindictive  hands. 

34.    Frontenflc's  Recall ;   and  La  Barre's  Folly.  —  While  La 

Salle  was  exploring  the  Mississippi,  the  old  menace  of  the  Iro- 

tiuois  once  more  raised  its  head.     The  governor  oi  New  York 

was  now  one  Colonel  Dong  ui,  an  ambitions  and  re.st- 
nonKan  stirs  ...  , 

uptheiio-       le.ss  spirit,  who  strove  to  break  up  the  peace  between 

New  France  and  the  Five  Nations.  His  immediate 
aim  was  to  overreach  his  rivals  in  the  fur-trade  ;  but  he  must  be 
credited  with  taking  wise  alarm  at  the  activity  of  French  ex- 
plorers atid  French  missionaries  in  the  west.     All   the  tribes  of 


FKONTENAC  /A'T/Af /DATES    THE  IROQUOIS. 


87 


the  Illinois  were  now  in  close  alliance  with  the  F''rench.  Troulilc 
arose  tlnongh  the  murder  of  a  Seneca  chief  by  an  Illinois  warrior. 
To  avt^rpe  the  wronj^,  all  the  Iro(|uois  rose  as  one  tribe,  swearing 
to  exterminate  the  whole  Illinois  people.  At  their  first  blow  the 
valit'y  of  the  Illinois  River  was  laid  waste,  and  its  dwellers  scat- 
tered to  their  remoter  villages.  Frontenac  called  for  delegates 
of  llie  Five  Nntions  to  meet  him  at  Cataracoui,  promising  to 
secure  them  full  restitution  and  a  peaceable  settlement  of  the 
quarrel.  Acting  under  Dongan's  advice,  the  Iroquois  told  Fron- 
tenac that  if  lie  wanted  to  see  them  he  must  come  to  them  in 
their  lodges.  But  this  defiant  attitude  was  one  which  they  could 
not  keep  up  with  Frontenac,  before  whose  imperious  force  their 

fierce  hearts  quailed.     He  said  no  more  of  restitution.  „     ^ 

^  Frontenac 

He  spoke  no  longer  of  a  settlement.     But   he  sent  queiisthem 

again, 
them  a  curt  command  to  keep   their  hands  off  the 

Illinois  and  all  the  other  western  tribes.  Further,  he  told  them 
that  if  they  had  anything  to  say  to  him  they  would  have  to  come 
to  MontrerJ.  The  Iroquois  weakened  at  once,  not  wanting  Fron- 
tenac's  heavy  hand  brought  down  upon  their  villages.  They  held 
back  the  feet  of  the  warriors  that  were  to  have  gone  against  the 
Illinois ;  and  soon  they  sent  an  embassy  to  Montreal.  A  little 
later,  in  the  same  year,  Frontenac's  quarrels  with  the  bishop 
and  the  Jesuits  led  to  his  recall ;  and  an  old  officer  named  La 
Barre,  who  had  outlived  his  military  vigour,  was  sent  out  to 
govern  Canada.  It  was  sending  a  child  to  do  a  strong  man's 
task. 

La  Barre  had  insight  enough  to  see  that  Governor  Dongan 
was  backing  the  Iroquois  ;  and  in  asking  the  King  for  reinforce- 
ments he  urged  that  the  English  court  should  be  called  upon  to 
check  New  York's  intrigues.  Dongan  got  a  reprimand  from 
London;  and  La  Barre  got  two  hundred  soldiers  from  Paris. 
lint  the  Iroquois,  and  in  particular  their  most  powerful  tribe, 
the  Senecas,  were  growing  daily  more  insolent.  It  was  as  if 
they  already  felt  the  withdrawal  of  F'rontenac's  frown.  La  Barre 
anxiously  noted  their  temper,  and  betrayed  his  weakness  by  over- 


11  i 


i 

1 

Uk 

is 


A   HISTOKY  OF  CANADA. 


i        f 

i 


4 


ii 

1 

t 

•1       ■! 

i 

1. 

Li 

tures  of  peace,     fie  invited  them  again  to  Montreal,  where  he 

loaded  their  de[)uties  with  presents,  and  endured  their  arrogant 

^vo^'-^^  that  they  were  going  to  blot  out  the  llhnois. 

IjSi  Bdrre  tries 

to  conciliate  By  persuasion,  instead  of  firm  command,  he  got  their 
promise  that  they  would  not  atta<  k  the  Fiurons, 
Ottawas,  and  other  northern  tribes,  or  plunder  the  canoes  of 
French  traders. 

We  can  hardly  credit  La  Barre  with  special  loyalty  to  the 
Hurons  and  Ottawas;  but  these  tribes  were  necessary  to  the 
illicit  fur-trade  by  which  he  was  greedily  enriching  himself.  At 
length  he  sent  a  trading  party,  with  valuable  merchandise,  into 
the  Illinois  country,  not  only  to  buy  furs  of  the  Mississippi  tribes 
but  also  to  seize  La  Salle's  fort  of  St.  Louis.  The  Senecas  at  this 
same  moment  were  again  pursuing  their  bloody  vengeance.  Be- 
ing in  a  warlike  mood,  they  were  not  particular  as  to  whom  they 
War  with  the  Struck.  They  promptly  fell  upon  La  Barre's  traders 
Senecas.  ^^^^  captured  his  merchandise.     But  the  rash  Senecas 

by  this  act  had  assailed  the  governor's  pocket,  which  v  as  more 
sensitive  than  his  honour.  La  Barre  swore  that  they  should  feel 
the  weight  of  his  wrath.  He  raised  a  force  of  nine  hundred  men 
and  led  them  to  the  land  of  the  Senecas.  On  the  south  shore 
of  Lake  Ontario  he  encamped,  and  the  little  army,  ill  led  and 
ill  fed,  shrank  rapidly  under  the  pangs  of  fever  and  famine." 

In  tlius  attacking  the  Senecas,  La  Barre  had  attackeil  the 
whole  confederacy ;  and  now  from  every  vilhge,  even  to  the 
utmost  borders  of  the  Mohawk  land,  the  Iroquois  swarmed  about 
him.  The  whole  military  force  of  Canada  was  represented  by 
this  wretched  band  on  the  Bay  of  Famine  ;  and  it  began  to  look 
as  if  at  length  the  Iroquois  would  make  good  their  old  boast  and 
sweep  the  French  into  the  sea.  But  their  policy  said  no.  The 
shrewd  savages  had  begun  to  feel  a  spirit  of  encroachment  in 
the  English.     They  felt  that  the  F^nglish  would  grow  too  power- 


1  The  place  of  this  unhappy  encampment  was  known  thereafter  as  the  Bay  of 
Famine. 


fill  if  t 

underst 

from  Li 

before 

at  his  tl 

the  Ilhn 

to  a  tre 

dition    t 

troops. 

nioned  b 

to  his  pla 

35.    D( 

(-anada  ii 
f-ver  of 
northern 
for  peace 
Denonvin( 
and  politic 
now   enjov 
the  bishop 
coming  D< 
the   Senec; 
appeal  to 
but  slowly 
ever,  he  k( 
Quebec  ;  a, 
and  firmnei 
'je  in  readi 
Between 
fnsued  a  dii 
"f  France  a 
o'"  excellent 
in   the   New 
treaty  of  nei 
American  pc 


DONGAN  AXD  DENONVII.LE. 


fill  if  the  French  were  out  of  the  way.  'I'heir  forest  statesmen 
understood  the  balance  of  power,  ami  withhtkl  their  hatchets 
from  I.a  Barre's  embarrassed  followers.  But  their  dc[)utics  went 
before  him  and  talked  to  him  with  lordly  scorn.  They  laughed 
at  his  threats  and  his  demands,  swore  that  they  would  not  spare 
the  Illinois  while  a  man  of  them  remained  alive,  and  only  agreed 
to  a  treaty  with  the  French  themselves  on  the  con-  ^n  ignoble 
dition  that  La  Rarre  should  at  once  withdraw  his  ''*'^*^*^- 
troops.  After  concluding  this  wretched  treaty  F.a  liarre  was  sum- 
moned back  to  France,  and  the  Marquis  dc  Denonville  succeeded 
to  his  place. 

35.  Denonville,  Dongan,  and  the  Iroquois.  —  Denonville  found 
ClaiKida  in  a  fever  of  indignation  over  La  Barre's  folly,  and  m  a 
fever  of  fear  over  the  grim  aspect  of  the  Indian  tribes.  The 
northern  allies  of  the  French  were  beginning  to  long  not  only 
for  peace  with  the  Iroquois  but  for  trade  with  the  English.  With 
Denonville  came  a  new  governor  for  Montreal,  a  brave  soldier 
and  politic  ruler  called  de  Caliieres.  In  internal  affairs  Canada 
now  enjoyed  unwonted  peace,  for  the  governor,  the  intendant, 
the  bishop,  and  the  Jesuits  all  were  of  one  mind.  Soon  after  his 
coming  Denonville  concluded  that  before  all  things  Denonville 
the  Senecas  must  t)e  humbled.  He  made  urgent  Jmahthe 
api)eal  to  France  for  more  soldiers.  These  he  got,  ^"^'^'^s- 
but  slowly ;  and  slowly  his  scheme  ripened.  Meanwhile,  how- 
ever, he  kept  his  purpose  a  secret  eviii  from  his  intimates  at 
Quebec  ;  and  toward  the  Iroquois  he  used  a  mixture  of  flattery 
and  firmness,  planning  to  ward  off  their  attack  until  he  should 
l)e  in  readiness  for  it. 

Between  Denonville  in  Queliec  and  Dongan  in  New  York  now 

ensued  a  duel  of  intrigue,  though  their  royal  masters,  Louis  XIV 

of  France  and  James  II  of  England,  were  on  terms 

,  "  Dongan'sin- 

of  excellent  good-will.     Blind  to  the  problems  of  fate  tngues  with 
°  ^  the  Indians, 

in   the    New  World,   the   two   monarchs    had    made 

treaty  of  neutrality,  fixing  perpetual  peace  between  their  North 

American  possessions.     But  other  eyes  had  a  clearer  view  than 


i  \ 


1  ,T 


t      i 


90 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


u 


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Pi 


♦  I! 


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it 


theirs.  The  strife  was  for  the  mastery  of  the  west.  The  far- 
seeing  Dongan  used  his  utmost  art  —  flattering  chiefs,  bribing 
Coureurs  des  Bois,  paying  high  prices,  and  bartering  with  good 
merchandise  —  to  turn  the  trade  of  the  northern  and  western 
Indians  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Hudson,  ihe  rivalry  be- 
tween these  two  trade  routes  is  active  and  undecided  to  this 
day.  Dongan  sent  his  traders  into  the  land  l)eyon(l  the  Lakes, 
where  hitherto  had  gone  no  white  man  but  the  French.  They 
won  a  cordial  welcome  from  tht;  Indians  ;  and  to  counteract  their 
influence,  to  keep  the  fur-trade  from  turning  its  full  stream  toward 
New  York,  required  the  utmost  efforts  of  men  like  Duluth  and 
Perrot,  whom  the  tribes  loved  much  and  feared  more. 

Dongan's  policy  was  to  coop  the  French  hard  and  fast  in  the 
valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence ;  a  policy  which  was  being  well  sec- 
The  policy  of  onded  by  the  raids  of  the  New  P^nglanders  on  Acadie, 
and'the*"*^*'  ^nd  by  the  planting  of  English  posts  on  Hudson  Bay. 
InShVoio-  'rhe  policy  of  the  French  -  which  de  Courcelles, 
nies.  Talon,  Frontenac,  La  Salle,  Denonville,  all  more  or 

less  consciously  strove  to  follow  —  was  to  enclose  the  Englisli 
setdements  in  a  vast  sphere  of  French  influence,  leaving  them 
none  of  the  continent  but  that  strip  of  Atlantic  coast  on  whicli 
they  had  already  taken  root.  Denonville,  in  spite  of  the  treaty, 
sent  a  force  up  suddenly  to  Hudson's  Bay,  and  surprised  tliree 
English  forts '  in  that  region.  This  expedition  was  commanded 
by  the  Chevalier  de  Troyes,  of  Montreal,  under  whom  went  one 
who  afterwards  made  his  mark  in  Catiadian  history,  the  intrepid 
d'lbervilie. 

To  both  Denonville  and  Dongan  now  occurred  the  idea  that  a 
fort  at  Niagara  would  give  an  immense  advantage  to  whichever 
The  Niagara  ^^^^  should  succeed  in  placing  it  there.  Both  began 
region.  scheming  to  that  end.     As  the  desired  site  wa-  in  the 

land  of  the  Senecas,  the  opinion  of  that  unbending  people  had  to 
be  considered.     While  New  York  and  Quebec  were  thus  pitted 


1  Forts  Albany,  Hayes,  and  Rupert.     Tiiis  attack  was  in  the  interests  of  the 
"  Company  of  the  North,"  established  to  rival  the  "  Company  of  Hudson  Bay." 


THE   SENEGAS   CffASTISEt}. 


91 


against  each  other  in  the  continental  duel,  the  powerful  New 
Knglnnd  colonies  looked  on  with  small  concern.  Even  so  early 
as  1680  did  Boston  lack  interest  in  New  York. 

In  1687  Denonville  deemed  the  time  ripe  for  bringing  the 
Senecas  to  their  knees.  He  mustered  swiftly  a  strong  force  and 
moved  up  the  St  Lawrence.  Then  he  committed  a  Denonviiie's 
treachery  only  be  matched  by  that  of  Charnisay,  ^''^^'^''^''y- 
—  an  act  so  base  that  we  cease  to  be  astonished  at  the  later  bar- 
barities of  the  Iroquois.  He  invited  a  number  of  thiefs  to  a 
conference  at  Fort  Frontenac.  As  soon  as  he  got  them  witliin 
Ijis  walls  he  seized  them,  and  sent  them  to  France  as  slaves  to 
be  worked  to  death  in  the  King's  galleys.  To  s\vell  the  number 
of  these  unfortunates  he  went  on  to  ravage  two  villages  of  neutral 
Iroquois,  who  had  long  been  thriving  peacefully  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Fort  Frontenac.  This  act,  in  its  brutality,  was  much  like 
the  raids  of  the  African  slave-hunter,  save  that  the  women  and 
children  thus  captured  —  at  least  such  of  them  as  did  not  die  of 
fear  and  pestilence  in  their  crowded  quarters  —  were  christianized, 
and  distributed  among  the  Mission  villages. 

This  memorable  deed  achieved,  Denonville  darted  across  the 
lake  to  surprise  the  Senecas,  He  was  unexpectedly  reinforced  by 
a  large  tody  of  Coureurs  des  Bois,  Hiirons,  Ottawas,  The  Senecas 
and  other  northern  Indians,  gathered  by  Duluth  and  chastised. 
Durantaye  and  brought  down  in  haste  from  Michilimackinac.  The 
Senecas  made  a  brief  but  fierce  resistance  in  front  of  their  chief 
town,  and  then  scattered  to  the  forests.  All  their  towns  were  laid 
in  ashes,  their  stores  of  corn  and  droves  of  swine  destroyed,  and 
a  blow  was  dealt  them  from  which  the  tribe  never  quite  recovered. 
Then  Denonville  marched  to  Niagara,  built  the  long-proposed  fort, 
and  left  therein  a  garrison  of  one  hundred  men. 

Denonville  had  scored  a  triumph  ;   but  now  came  upon  the 
colony  a  season  of  anguish.      Blazing  with  rage  and   iroquois 
hate  at  Denonviiie's  treachery,  and  eager  to  avenge  '^^taiiation. 
the  defeat  of  the  Senecas,  the  whole  confederacy  of  the  Iroquois 
darted  like  wolves  at  the  throat  of  Canada.     They  made  no  united 


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92 


^I    mSTOKY  OF  CANADA. 


movement,  such  as  the  disciplined  force  of  the  French  might  hav(^ 
beaten  back ;  but  they  hunted  in  small  bands,  swift  and  noiseless 
as  shadows.  They  left  behind  thein  sinokini;  ruins,  and  the 
charred  bodies  of  their  victims  bound  to  stakes  of  torture.  Every 
settlement  was  in  a  state  of  siege  ;  and  men  could  move  about 
only  in  strong  bands  armed  to  the  teeth.  Every  seigneurial 
mansion  was  made  a  fortress,  in  which  the  retainers  migiit  take 
refuge  with  their  families  and- possessions.  To  add  to  the  misery 
of  the  time  a  plague  of  smallpox  ran  through  the  settlements,  fatal 
as  the  Iroquois  hatchet. 

Unable  to  protect  the  country  against  an  enemy  whom  he  could 
not  bring  to  bay^  Denonville  now  desired  peace,  and  deputies  were 
Negotiations  invited  to  meet  him  in  Montreal.  But  they  had  been 
for  peace.  ^ygji  taught  by  Dongan.  They  would  have  no  talk  of 
peace,  save  on  condition  that  their  stolen  chiefs  should  be  brought 
back  and  the  fort  at  Niagara  destroyed.  Dongan's  interference 
was  now  open.  He  justified  it  on  the  ground  that  all  the  Iroquois 
were  under  English  protection,  and  that  Denonville's  attack  on 
the  Senecas  was  an  invasion  of  English  territory.  Denonville  sent 
away  the  delegates,  refusing  to  treat  with  them  on  account  of  their 
arrogant  bearing.  Tiisn,  in  a  short  time,  the  Iroquois  grew  tired 
of  the  war,  probably  fearing  another  French  army  among  the 
lodges,  or  considering  that  it  was  time  for  them  to  discourage  the 
pretensions  of  New  York.  They  sent  new  delegates  to  Montreal, 
t)  treat  with  Denonville  on  his  own  terms.  Pending  a  formal 
treaty  a  truce  was  agreed  upon  ;  and  the  delegates,  leaving 
hostages,  returned  to  the  council- fire  of  the  five  tribes. 

36.  Kondiaronk,  ♦•the  Rat,"  kills  the  Peace.  The  Lachine 
Massacre. — The  proposed  peace,  though  a  boon  to  the  French, 
The  craft  of  nieant  ruin  to  the  Hurons  of  M  ichiliinackinac,  who  had 
Kondiaroak.  ^x&A  themselves  with  Denonville  only  on  his  pledge 
that  there  should  be  no  peace  till  the  Iroquois  were  crushed.  The 
Hurons  knew  that  Denonville  could  not  protect  them  from  the 
lage  of  the  Iroquois.  They  were  to  be  sacrificed.  But  one  of 
.'.leir  chiefs,  known  as  Kondiaronk,  or  "  the  Rat,"  was  a  man  of 


!  i 


"■   ^■■■'^''I'SJI  PIANKFjy 
Sreat  cipacily  and  reso„r.e      H  , 

Montreal  to  .ig„  „„  „„(,,    ,;'  7'-  "''°  "'<n^  on  their  way  „, 

"enonvill,.',  o,v„  orders.     The"  1         '"«  "''•"  '"-"  >™  acting  „„ 
"--•  to  ca,„-h,d.,  peace  with    1     T^'^  ■■""''.^sadors  „„  ,h, 

"-'"S  led  ;,i,„  into  ,„  „,  „;,;;!'    "■  '""'"*■'  """""'"'-■  f- 
"""»  -vi.h  gifo  „„.,  ,,,  „^^  ;'    '  -ch..r,,  he  loaded  his  p.,- 

-oP'ed    as  he  said,  in  pla       7;     ''"'"«  ;-  °f 'l^en,  t„  be 
"en  he  hastened  home  xo  Micl^^^  i '  ,,^      "  "'"'  '"  '"^  ■•■"acic, 
^-nenac  to  pu^.le  the  con,™  !',;■;?■  °'"/  ?"--«  at  f„rt 
-    I  have  killed  the  pe.cc.     vv"  l' ^j  T  "'y'«'^'io».  words 

"'  set  out  of  this  affn-r."    A,  vr    ,  ,  "''  K"^"""'- '»  «oin<r 

<"-or  proposed  treaty,  and  to    1      r"',!""  ""  "^  '^•>«  of 
0"  Kondiaronk  handed'^,.,  ,  /,  1  „„';<^"'*  -™">='n,ler  of  the 
""happy  captive  shotted  his  story    !?"  ""'""''  ''  ^  'I'-V-    The 
a  spy  he  was  hnrned.    Then  Ko  fn  '  ""'  ''''''=™i  i  and  as 

"'"'e  than  that  of  which  hc'h  .^  '"T  '""'  '^  '>i^  <"ar«e  was  no 
"■o„,,l  not  he  dnped  agai^'sX '',';:"  ''","""  '''"'  '™">-" 
vengeNnce.  '^  *'"=""/  ">cy  hrooded   a   l,ideous 

Meanwhile    Domnn   i,,  i    l 
Major  Andres,  thot.h     e  ,o,  "t"  .""""'  ^    ""'    '''^   accessor 

-'-.^;n=M:ana,la,w,;not,:    ■■;  l,Ur"'"  ""  '"""■-  f™™ 
'•"ghsh  sovereigntv  and  i„  (,.  V  '  ■'«erl,o.i  of 

"O"  of  Fort  Ni^a  ;■::*'"•?,"''  '"^  "-  'lestruc-  I^^iS^ 
'■;  """  appeal  that  t  ^  olh  "r"" ''*-  ^™«'r 
'h<.'  ox,„dsion  of  the  Kn'w,  frL  If  "'^^'^'^  ''^^  '"  '"  """""■ 
'^<-  Kn,g  a  plan  for  ,J  ""^  continent.    The,-  h,v)  >,  r 

.,  ,         '     "  ""^  'he  capture  of  NV,,,  v„,t        ,    "' 'aid  before 
'^t  last,  after  months  of  «„  "^  •""'  Albany. 

-'cnine,  the  most  appal- 


I. 


4\ 


iiii 


HMMf 


m 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


1 


M 


\ 


ling  event  in  Canadian  annals.  On  the  night  of  August  4th, 
1689,  under  cover  of  storm  and  darkness,  fifteen  hundred  Iro- 
The  massacre  Quois  Stole  noiselessly  into  the  village  of  Lachine, 
atLachine.  ^^  ^j^g  upper  end  of  Montreal  Island.  Noiselessly 
they  scattered  among  the  duellings.  Then,  with  sudden  wild 
screeches,  they  beat  in  door  and  window,  and  pounced  upon  the 
sleepers  in  their  beds.  Blessed  were  they  who  died  thus  in  the 
first  rage  of  the  attack.  Others  —  men,  women,  and  children 
fllil-'e  —  were  dragged  forth,  tied  to  stakes,  and  tortured  with 
unspeakable  cruelties  by  the  red  glare  of  their  blazing  homes. 
The  pen  shrinks  from  relating  the  horrors  of  that  night.  Montreal 
was  i)araly7ed  witli  fixir,  and  the  hearts  of  men  became  like  water. 
A  body  of  two  huii>ired  troops,  under  an  officer  named  Subercase, 
was  encamped  some  miles  from  Lachine ;  and  as  soon  as  the 
horrible  tidings  came  this  gallant  leader  marched  against  the 
butchers.  But  l)enon\ille  ordered  him  back  within  the  walls  of 
a  strong  outpost  named  Fort  Roland.  P'iercely  protesting,  he  was 
forced  to  obey  and  leave  the  captives  to  their  fate.  Then  the 
little  garriijon  of  Fort  R6my,  attempting  to  reach  Fort  Roland, 
was  cut  to  pieces.  In  Montreal  and  Fort  Roland  there  were 
troops  enough  to  have  crushed  the  enemy,  but  manhood  seems 
to  have  fled  from  their  leaders,  the  brave  Subercase  excepted. 
The  Iroquois  stayed  upon  the  island  just  as  long  as  it  pleased 
them,  and  then  marched  off  with  their  prisoners ;  and  from  the 
walls  of  Montreal  men  watched  their  friends  and  kinsfolk  borne 
away  to  a  death  of  nameless  agonies. 

Canada  lay  stricken  faint  with  panic ;  and  from  her  terror 
went  up  a  prayer  for  the  strong  hand  of  Frontenac.  Meanwhile 
The  return  James  II  had  been  driven  from  the  throne  of  iMig- 
01  Froatenac.    j^^^^j^  ^^^  j^  j^-g  ^^^^^  reigned  William  of  Orange,  the 

mortal  enemy  of  France.  War  had  been  declared  between  hini 
and  Louis.  Denonville  was  recalled.  And  Frontenac,  his  faults 
forgotten  in  the  face  of  the  need  that  summoned  him,  was  already 
on  his  way  back  to  Canada  (1689). 

Meanwhile  what  of  Acadie,  and  what  of  Newfoundland  ?     From 


the  T 

hai-k  ( 

httle  , 

i;<nen 

of  his 

a  smiit 

iJy  tho 

head  ol 

to  the  J 

diers  01 

PopuJati 

goodly  t 

<Ioubled, 
and  then 

steadily, 
of  a  Jatei 
perio(J  is 

t't-nobsco 
<^f  New  L 
chief  \Lit 
^'ned  Ly  g 
As  far  a 
ceding  the 
(16S9)  is 
ni'^^rchants 
and  lest  th 
passed  forb 
t'on  of  one 
'^oats  and 
'"g-Iords  wo 
repair  a  hou 
that  popuJat 
so  bold  or  s| 
reception.     ' 


\h 


AFr.ifRS  LV  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


m 


the  Treaty  of  Uic'da  in  1667  to  the  lime  when  Frontcnac  came 
back  to  save  Canada,  nearly  a  (juarter  of  a  century,  was  a  period  of 
little  event  in  Acadian  story.  Governor  succeeded  Aitairsin 
governor,  and  each  in  turn  strove  to  make  the  most  **^'^'*"-'- 
of  his  brict  hour  by  illicit  sale  of  brandy  to  the  Indians  and  by 
a  sintiggliti)^'  trade  with  the  English.  But  population  grew  stead- 
ily though  slowly,  and  s])read  to  the  fertile  regions  about  the 
head  of  the  JJay  (;f  Fundy.  In  1671  Acadie  had  white  inhabitants 
to  the  number  of  four  hrmdred  and  forty-one,  including  the  sol- 
diers on  the  Penobscot.  It  must  be  remembered  tliat  if  Acadie's 
population  was  smaller,  her  territory  was  large,  and  took  in  a 
goodly  extent  of  Maine.  I>y  16S5,  however,  die  jjopulation  had 
doubled,  partly  Ijy  immigration  and  partly  by  natural  increase  ; 
and  thenceforth  the  settlements  at  Chignecto  and  Grand  Pr6  grew 
steadily,  remote  from  the  troubles  of  Port  Royal,  tilt  the  great  ruin 
of  a  later  century  overtook  them.  The  picturesque  figure  of  this 
period  is  the  brave  but  lawless  wood-ranger,  baron,  lord  of  sciuaws, 
seigneur  of  savages,  St.  Castin,  who  dwelt  in  his  strong  post  on  the 
Penobscot  and  kept  the  gates  of  Acadie  ngainst  the  encroachments 
of  New  England.  St.  Castin  h  id  married  a  daughter  of  the  great 
chief  Matakando  ;  and  his  intluencc.',  backed  by  fear  and  sweet- 
ened by  gifts,  was  felt  in  all  the  tribes  of  Acadie. 

As  far  as  Newfoundland  is  concerned,  all  the  half  century  i)re- 
ceding  the  accession  of  William  of  Orange  to  the  English  throne 
(1689)  is  little  more  than  a  blank  in  her  story.  The  great  fish- 
merchants  of  the  west  of  England  held  her  in  their  selfish  grasp  ; 
and  lest  their  fisheries  should  in  some  way  be  hindered,  laws  were 
l)assed  forbidding  settlement  on  the  island.  A  resident  popula- 
tion of  one  thousand  in  all,  just  enough  to  look  after     „  .     . 

■'  °  Affairs  in 

boats  and  gear  in  winter,  was  the  utmost  that  the  fish-  Newfound- 
ing-lords  would  allow  ;  and  no  one  could  build  or  even 
repair  a  house  without  a  license  from  England.     It  is  not  strange 
that  population  grew  slowly.     The  wonder  is  that  any  were  found 
so  bold  or  so  obstinate  as  to  force  themselves  in  against  so  surly  a 
reception.     The  main  point  of  interest  in  this  period  is  the  begin- 


I  ( 


; 


96 


A   HISTORY  Of    CAA'ADA. 


ning  of  the  French  fisheries  question.  As  early  as  1635  the  P'veiich 
got  leave  to  dry  fish  on  the  Newfonndlaiid  shores,  on  a  payuicm  of 
five  per  cent,  of  the  produce.  Pusliing  this  privilege  to  the  utmost, 
they  planted  a  strong  ami  well-fortihed  colony  at  Placeiilia  ( 1660). 
iMkeen  years  later  they  induced  C'harles  II  to  remit  the  li\e  per 
cent,  payment.  Then  they  reached  out  sturdily  in  t  \cry  direction, 
till  a  l;iri;e  part  of  the  island  was  in  their  hands.  Wiien  at  lengih 
King  William  made  war  on  Louis  XIV,  the  encroachment  of  Kiancc 
in  Newfoundland  was  given  as  one  of  his  reasons. 


V 

1 1\ 


!'         < 


i 


CHAPTKR    VIII. 

SECTIONS  :  —  37,  Frontenac  strikks  the  English  Colonies. 
38,  PiiM's  AT  Port  Royal  and  at  Qukukc.  Madkleink  di':  la 
Verchekes.  Death  oi-  Krontenac.  39,  d'Iiucrville  in  Hud- 
son Bay,  Acaoie,  and  Newfoundland.  40,  War  of  the  Span- 
ish SuccE.ssiox.  Final  Conquest  of  Acadie.  41,  Rei'ose, 
Progress,  and  We.stern  Expansion. 


37.  Frontenac  strikes  the  English  Colonies.  —  Tlu;  great 
Louis  was  now  at  the  summ'*.  ot'  his  splemloiir  ;  and  it  seemed 
that  in  the  New  World  only  was  his  word  not  law.  combinea 
There  the  rude  English  thwarted  his  plans,  tiiere  the  wew'^Yoik 
presumptuous  Iroquois  slaughtered  his  people.  He  ^''^^'^o^'-''^- 
resolved  to  put  into  effect  the  scheme  of  Denonville  and  Calli^res. 
He  would  do  nothing  less  than  uproot  the  New  York  colony.  His 
purpose  was  a  wholesale  expatriation  of  the  eighteen  thousami 
Dutch  and  English  settlers,  in  comparison  with  which  the  later 
expatriuion  of  the  Acadians  by  the  filnglish  would  appear  (piite 
insignificant.  The  scheme  was  daring;  but  the  means  wiiich 
Louis  pro"ided  for  executing  it  were  laughably  insuflicunt.  Two 
sliips,  bearing  ;tbout  sixteen  hundred  soldiers,  were  ordered  to 
Chedabucto  harbour,  in  Acadie,  there  to  await  instructions. 
Frontenac,  immediately  on  his  arrival  at  Quebec,  was  to  organize 
a  land-force,  and  invade  New  York  by  way  of  the  Richelieu,  send- 
ing word  to  the  ships  at  Chedabucto  when  his  army  was  rea<ly  to 
start,  in  order  that  the  two  forces  might  cooperate.  But  endless 
delays  ensued  in  the  fitting  of  the  ships,  and  further  delays  from 
head-winds  in  crossing  the  ocean  ;  and  when  the  ships  reached 
H  97 


1      ! 


ji 


\  i 


I  ;; 


I 


9« 


.-/   I/ISTOA'V   01    CA.WIDA. 


('hedahucio  the  season  was  so  far  gone  that  Frontenuc  saw  himself 
forced  to  give  up  the  enterprise. 

Though  Luking  both  troops  anci  money,  Krontcnac  put  new  life 

inti)  (!anadi;m   hearts,  and  the   Inchans  t'elt  tli'-   firmness  of  his 

hand.     He  had  brought  back  th(    Iroiiuois  chiefs  so 

»r;joive»to       basely   kidnapped    bv    Denonvillc;    and    these,  after 

f;trike  the  ,        ,  ■     ,  ' 

EnKiuii  <.oio-    wmning  by  his  kuidnes;,  their  last  triendsiiip,  he  sent 

IUM«  . 

home  loaded  with  gifts.  Hut  I)y  this  time  so  low  had 
sunk  the  French  prestige,  and  so  diligent  were  the  intrigues  of  the 
I'viiglish  traders,  that  all  the  northern  and  western  tribes  were  on 
the  i>omt  of  making  peace  with  the  Irocjuoi?.,  and  going  over  in  a 
body  to  the  English.  Frontenac  saw  thai  he  must  strike  the  ICng- 
lisri  at  once,  and  strike  hard  enough  to  revive  in  Indian  breasts 
the  old  terror  of  his  name.  In  silent  haste  he  organized  three 
war-parties,  made  up  of  the  fierce  and  hardy  Canadian  bush- 
rangers, and  of  Christian  Indians  from  the  missions.  These  he 
launched  through  the  wilderness  in  the  dead  of  winter>  against  the 
English  borders.  One  band  started  from  Quebec,  one  from  Three 
Rivers,  and  one  from  Montreal.  That  from  Montreal,  after  a 
inarch  of  terrible  hardship  under  which  less  mighty  sinews  must 
The  Mid  on  have  failed,  drew  near  the  village  of  Schenectady  on 
Stiienectady.  ^^  Hudson.  Its  palisades  were  buried  in  snow-drifts, 
the  gates  stood  open  and  unguarded,  the  villagers  slept  in  what 
they  deemed  security.  On  a  sudden  the  still  and  piercing  cold  of 
the  midnight  air  was  loud  with  war-whoop-^: ;  and  the  bewildered 
villagers  awoke  to  find  the  knives  of  th^^ir  encniies  at  their  throats. 
The  massacre  was  indescribable,  and  fcr  •.  time  the  Christian 
Indians  of  the  party  committed  their  atrocities  unchecked.  Then 
the  French  interfered  to  save  the  poor  remnant  of  the  captives. 
A  Mr.  Glen,  who  in  former  days  had  treated  with  kindness  such 
French  prisoners  as  came  in  his  way,  was  living  across  the  river 
from  Schenectady.  He  put  his  house  in  a  state  of  defence  and 
jtrep  ired  to  sell  his  life  dearly  \  but  the  French  declared  they 
were  not  his  enemies,  but  his  debtors.  They  not  only  protected  his 
family  and  his  property,  but  gave  up  to  him  such  of  the  captives. 


\\ 


SALMON  FALLS  AND   CASCO  BAY. 


99 


with  their  possessions,  as  ho  claimed  to  be  his  kin.  The  Indians 
gnunliloil  that  (lien's  kinsfolk  were  astonishint^ly  niumioiis.  'l"ln.' 
French  made  no  long  stay  at  Schenectady,  hni  haslfncd  l)ack  to 
Montreal  with  llu;  tidings  of  their  feat.  Of  the  other  two  iiartn/s, 
tiiat  from  Three  Kiver^  stole  u|)on  the  sK :i[)ing  village  of  Salmon 
Kails,  in  New  Hampshire.  The  terrible  .-leenes  of  Schenectady 
were  repeated.  Men  and  women,  old  and  young,  were  bulchireil ; 
the  settlement  was  laid  in  ashes ;  aiitl  iiany  poor  wretches  who 
escaped  the  hatchet  were  starve<l  o  fro/en  in  the  The  raids  on 
wov)ds.  Such  prisoners  as  were  taken  here,  however,  fncj^casccf"' 
were  guarded  from  the  Indians,  and  sent  \\\  safety  to  ®*y- 
Quebec.  Then  the  third  i^arty  arrived,  and  the  combined  force 
tuoveil  down  Casco  Bay.  Here  they  met  a  sharp  resistance.  ]*or 
several  days  the  New  Knglanders  held  out.  When  at  last  they 
surrendered  the  fort,  it  was  upon  honourable  terms,  and  on  solemn 
pledge  of  protection  from  the  Indians.  Hut  with  shameless  bru- 
tality the  pleilge  was  broken.  The  ca))tives  were  handed  over 
to  the  scalping-knife  and  the  stake  ;  while  fort  and  village  were 
levelled  to  the  ground.  The  stain  of  this  vile  treachery  must  rest 
upon  Portneuf,  the  chief  in  command  of  the  united  force.  The 
Three  Rivers  party,  under  leaelership  of  Hertel,  had  shown  itself 
bloody  in  assault,  indeed,  but  honourable  in  triumph  (1690). 

Throughout  Canada  the  effect  of  these  blows  was  visible  at 
once.  The  north-west  tribes  made  haste  to  propitiate  Frontenac, 
trembling  to  see  that  his  hand  was  heavy  as  of  old.  Success 
seemed  all  at  once  to  fdl  the  air.  A  band  of  Canadian  rangers, 
after  meeting  and  cutting  to  pieces  a  war-party  of  the  Irocjuois, 
brought  down  to  Montreal  a  vast  store  of  furs  which  had  for  three 
years  been  accumidating  at  Michilimackinac.  They  had  been  kept 
back  by  fear  of  the  Iroquois.  This  arrival  set  flowing  once  more 
in  Canada  the  long  stagnant  currents  of  trade ;  and  the  i^eople 
praised  heaven  for  their  strong-handed  governor,  liut  meanwhile 
the  stricken  colonies  of  New  Vork  and  New  Mngland  were  atlarne. 
The  blows  which  they  had  suffered  were  not  those  of  civili/etl  war- 
fare.    The  atrocities  committed  at  Casco,  Salmon  Falls,  Schcnec- 


^ 


i 

: 

} 

i 

^      T, 

\   ' 

:m 


lOO 


/l   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


tady,  lighted  in  the  hearts  of  the  English  colonists  a  thirst  for 
vengeance  never  to  be  quenched  as  long  as  the  flag  of  the  lilies 
floated  in  New  France.  The  fight  for  New  World  empire  now 
became,  not  a  contest  of  policy  merely,  but  a  death-grappie  of 
mutual  hate. 

38.  Sir  William  Phips  at  Port  Royal  and  at  Quebec.  Madeleine 
de  la  Verch^res.  Death  of  Frontenac.  —  The  P^nglish  colonies 
Sir  wmiam  ""'^  appointed  delegates  to  meet  in  convention  at  New 
urea  Port*'*  York  and  discuss  the  common  peril.  Finding  that  there 
Royal.  ^y^j,  j^Q  i^gip  j^jj.j  ji^gj^  jQ  i^g  gjjj  jj.Q^  Great  Britain, 

New  England  and  New  York  together  resolved  upon  the  conquest 
of  rjanada.  First  the  New  Englanders  sent  out  a  force  to  destroy 
the  hornets'  nest  of  Acadie,  whence  they  had  been  stung  so  often. 
The  expedition  consisted  of  seven  small  vessels  under  Sir  William 
Phips  (1690).  Port  Royal  was  in  no  condition  for  defence,  its 
ramparts  were  ruinous,  its  guns  half  dismounted  ;  but  Menneval, 
the  governor,  put  on  so  bold  a  face  that  Phips  grve  him  honourable 
terms.  When  he  saw,  however,  the  weakness  of  the  place,  which 
he  might  have  had  for  the  taking,  the  very  commercial  New  Eng- 
land captain  felt  that  he  had  been  cheated.  On  a  flimsy  pretext 
he  pillaged  fort  and  church,  and  carried  off  Menneval  and  his 
garrison  as  prisoners  of  war.  Such  of  the  private  citizens  as  would 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  F.ngland  were  left  undisturbed.  The 
rest  were  shamelessly  plundered.  But  justice  bids  ("Canadians  con- 
fess that  there  were  no  brutal  atrocities,  such  as  had  stained  the 
French  attacks  of  the  previous  winter.  On  the  retarn  of  Phips  to 
Boston  with  his  booty,  a  combined  assault  on  Canada  was  organ- 
ized. The  great  colony  of  Massachusetts  was  to  send  a  fleet 
against  Quebec,  while  New  York  despatched  an  army  to  Montreal. 
Phips  was  put  in  charge  of  the  fleet ;  while  the  land-force  was  led 
by  Colonel  Winthrop. 

The  expedition  against  Montreal  (1690)  was  unlucky  from  the 
beginning.  Sickness  broke  out  among  the  troops;  the  supply  of 
canoes  and  food  was  insufficient ;  the  Iroquois  failed  to  keep 
their  promises  of  aid  ;  and  the  main  body  of  the  force  got  no 


PHI  PS  BEFORE    QUEBEC. 


IC 


further  than  Lake  ChampKain.     A  little  band  of  volunteers,  how- 
ever, was  allowed  to  go  forward  ;  and  the  great  enterprise  at  last 

fizzled  out  in  a  border  raid  on  the  village  of  La  Prairie.  „  ., 

°  Failure  of 

Fron'enac  was  then  at  Montreal,  dancing  the   war-  wmthrop's 

°  expedition 

dance  with  the  Indians  of  Michilimackinac.    While  he  against 

1  1    r         .  •       1  I  Montreal. 

was  planning  a  sharp  reprisal  for  this  thrust,  he  got 

news  which  sent  him  in  hot  haste  back  to  Quebec,     De  Culli^res, 

Montreal's  brave  governor,  was  bidden  to  follow  with  all  his  troops, 

and  to  muster  the  militia  of  the  seigneuries  on  his  way.      The 

New  England  fleet  was  already  at  Tadousac. 

Quebec,  since  Frontenac's  return,  had  had  its  defences  much 
strengthened,  particularly  on  the  landward  and  weaker  side. 
Now  they  were  hastily  reinforced  with  huge  beams  and  casks  full 
of  stone.  The  batteries  of  the  Upper  Town  and  along  the  river's 
edge  were  made  ready  for  action.  About  twenty-seven  hundred 
regular  troops  and  militia  were  gathered  within  the  walls.  The 
Beauport  and  Beaupr<^  shores  below  the  city,  where  the  enemy  might 
seek  to  land,  were  guarded  by  Canadian  woodsmen.  At  dawn  of 
an  October  morning,  when  all  was  in  readiness,  the  hostile  ships 
appeared,  slowly  rounding  the  green  shores  of  Orleans  Island. 

Sir  William  Phips  had  thirty-two  vessels,  large  and  small,  and 
a  force  of  about  twenty-two  hundred  men.  When  he  found  him- 
self flice  to  face  with  his  heavy  task,  the  stupendous  phips  before 
rock  of  Quebec  with  its  ramparts  avd  its  batteries  may  Q^fi"^"^- 
well  have  daunted  his  roug'-  s.  ,it.  There  was  stir  of  military 
pomp  in  the  city,  and  ^hc  Fleu  cie  i  ys  flapped  defiantly  on  the 
clear  autumnal  air.  b;.!  i^'.ne  New  Englander  felt  any  hesitation, 
it  did  not  now  appear.  1-Ie  s{  nt  a  herald  into  the  city  to  demand 
capitulation  within  an  hot;.  Blindfolded,  and  by  deviu  -  ys, 
the  messenger  was  led  up  to  P'rontenac';;  chateau,  where,  in  the 
midst  of  an  imposing  company,  he  delivtie;l  his  curt  inessnge 
and  laid  his  watch  upjn  the  table.  But  Quebec  was  not  Port 
Royal.  The  French  officers  reddened  angrilv  at  th^.  v^ords  of 
Phips,  and  fiery  short  was  Frontenac's  reply  thai  his  g'i.r;s  would 
give  his  answer. 


^:l( 


^^r^ 


i 


102 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


M 


V\ 


\  <i. 


Hi 


defeated 
and  Quebec 
delivered. 


After  some  delay  the  attack  began.  Major  Walley,  the  second 
in  command,  with  thirteen  hundred  men  and  some  small  lield- 
pieces,  courageously  forced  a  landing  on  the  Beauport  shore,  while 
the  ships  opened  fire  on  the  town.  The  plan  was  that  this  land- 
Phips  force  should  assail  the  city  in  the  rear  under  cover  of 

the  bombardment.  But  the  raw  New  England  troops, 
harassed  ceaselessly  by  the  nimble  Indian  skirmishers 
and  opposed  by  a  battalion  of  hardy  Canadian  veterans,  were 
foiled  in  every  attempt  to  cross  the  Charles.  After  three  days  of 
battle,  half-starved  and  half-frozen,  they  sullenly  retreated  to  their 
ships.  They  left  five  of  their  cannon  stuck  in  the  Beauport  mud ; 
but  they  had  acquitted  themselves,  as  their  enemies  said,  like  men. 
As  for  the  bombardment,  it  had  proved  innocent  enough  against 
the  strong  walls  of  the  city ;  while  the  ships,  on  the  other  hand, 
had  been  riddled  by  the  guns  of  the  batteries.  Phips  realized,  at 
last,  the  magnitude  of  his  undertaking.  He  withdrew  behind  Isle 
d'0rl6ans  to  repair  his  battered  hulls ;  and  then  sailed  back  with 
his  chagrin  to  Boston.  By  this  defeat  Massachusetts  was  over- 
whelmed in  mortification  and  in  debt ;  but  Canada  held  services 
of  praise  in  all  her  churches,  and  dedicated  a  chapel  to  "  Notre 
Dame  de  la  Victoire."  At  the  King's  command  a  medal  was 
struck  bearing  this  inscription  :  —  Francu  in  Nova  Orde  Vic- 
TRix ;  Kebeca  Lirerata  A.D.  MDCXC. 

For  the  next  few  years  the  history  of  Canada  presents  but  a 
series  of  raids  and  counter-raids,  together  with  bitter  internal  strife 
between  Frontenac  and  his  followers  on  the  one  side,  the  Bishop 
and  the  Jesuits  on  the  other.  In  this  quarrel  the  King  was  com- 
pelled to  interfere  ;  and  Frontenac  appears  to  have  had  the  best 
of  it.  Among  the  disasters  of  the  period  stands  out  the  massacre  of 
La  Chesnaye,  wherein  the  inhabitants  of  a  whole  village 
were  slain  or  taken  captive  by  the  Iroquois.  Among 
the  heroic  deeds  of  the  time  shines  that  of  Madeleine  de 
la  Verchferes.  This  girl  of  fourteen,  daughter  of  the  Seigneur  de  la 
Verchcres,  dwelt  in  what  has  been  called  the  "  Castle  Dangerous " 
of  Canada,  so  exposed  was  it  to  Iroquois  assault.     One  morning, 


The  heroine 
of  la  Ver- 
cheres. 


when  h 
the  fiel 
youngei 
Iroquoi 
heroic  ^ 
a  show  < 
from  th{ 
so  tirele 
She  four 
and  ten 
hardihoo 
women  j 
instead  c 
garrison  s 
In  i6g 
Iroquois  ( 
in  battle, 
the  Onon 
confederal 
(-■nergetic 
north  and 
with  pr 
of  pe.'icc 
EnglPi.d  ai 
Ry.=*.u).'  ( 
and  a  rulei 
39-   D'lh 
Before  pup 
must  go  ba 
Acadian  lar 
possession  c 
Canada  and 
there  were 
tlie  icy  deso 
^'ewfoundlai 


y 


a 


DEATH  OF  FRONTENAC. 


103 


when  her  father  was  away  at  Quebec,  her  people  out  at  labour  in 
the  fields,  and  she  left  in  the  fort  with  only  two  soldiers,  her  two 
younger  brothers,  and  an  old  man  of  eighty  for  garrison,  the 
Iroquoiii  came.  Th2  men  gave  up  in  instant  despair;  but  the 
heroic  girl  shamed  and  threatened  them  back  to  manhood.  By 
a  show  of  confidence  she  held  the  savages  at  bay  till  a  few  women 
from  the  fields  gained  the  fort ;  and  she  conducted  the  defence 
so  tirelessly  and  shrewdly  that  for  a  week  the  enemy  were  foiled. 
She  found  no  mean  assistants  in  her  two  small  brothers,  twelve 
and  ten  years  old,  who  handled  their  guns  with  wondrous  skill  and 
hardihood.  Thus  the  exigencies  of  the  time  made  heroes  of  our 
women  and  our  children.  When  help  arrived  from  Montreal, 
instead  of  smoking  ruins  and  nameless  horrors,  they  found  the 
garrison  safe  and  a  girl  of  fourteen  in  command. 

In  1696  Frontenac  led  a  strong  force  into  the  heart  of  the 
Iroquois  country.  These  proudest  of  savages  durst  not  face  him 
in  battle,  but  fled  at  his  coming.  He  burned  the  chief  towns  of 
the  Onondagas,  including  the  great  council-house  of  the  whole 
confederacy ;  and  he  devastated  the  land  of  the  Oneidas.  This 
energetic  action  steadied  once  more  the  ever-wavering  tribes  of 
north  and  west  j  and  it  brought  the  Iroquois  envoys  to  Quebec 
with  pr  VvTS  and  wnmpum  belts.  While  negotiations  Death  of 
of  pe.icv  wo:  •  dragging  on,  there  came  word  that  ^o"*<^"*c. 
Englp'ud  aii'l  tranci  had  settled  their  difficulties  by  the  Treaty  of 
Rys*  \rk  CH97).  In  November  of  the  following  year,  dauntless 
and  a  rulei  oi  mci  to  the  last,  the  old  lion  of  Canada  died  (1698). 

39.  D'lberviile  in  Hudson  Bay,  Acadie,  and  Newfoundland.  — 
Before  pursuing  events  across  the  threshold  of  the  century,  we 
must  go  back  a  few  years  and  see  what  was  being  done  in  the 
Acadian  land.  Besides  the  great  struggle  over  the  Three  centres 
possession  of  the  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi,  in  whicli  North^* *° 
Canada  and  New  York  engaged  with  so  much  heat,  a™^"'^*- 
there  were  t^hree  other  centres  of  strife  in  North  America.  Amid 
the  icy  dcsol.ition  of  Hudson  Bay,  and  about  the  austere  coasts  of 
Newfoundland,  Frar  .e  and  England  were  at  each  other's  throats  ; 


1^       \ 


(I 


104 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


V 


iii 


while  along  between  New  England  and  Acadie  was  n  line  of  blood 
and  fire. 

On  Hudson  Bay,  after  the  capture  of  the  three  forts,  Hayes, 
Albany,  and  Rupert,  as  described  in  an  earlier  chapter,  only  the 
post  of  Fort  Nelson  remained  to  England.  Late  in  the  war  the 
D 'Iberville  '.n  valiant  d' Iberville,  fresh  from  triumphs  in  Acadie  and 
Hudson  Bay.  Newfoundland,  entered  Hudson  Bay  and  met  there 
three  armed  English  merf  'nntmen.  These,  after  a  hot  fight,  were 
captured;  and  soon  after  rd-  Fort  Nelson  snared  their  fate. 
Thus  all  the  Hudson  Bay  r._g!..',.  was  brought  under  the  f!.ig  of 
the  Bourbons,  —  but  only  to  dj  '  nded  back  to  England  by  the 
Treaty  of  Ryswick  (1697). 

As  for  Acadie,  she  had  long  been  neglected  in  favour  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  valley.    Though  desirable  in  herself,  she  was  not  con- 
sidered so  vital  a  part  of  the  edifice  of  French  power 
Disputed  *  ' 

boundaries       in  America.     Her  borders  were  continually  changing 
of  Acadie.  * 

hands.  The  French  claimed  the  line  of  the  Kenne- 
bec as  the  western  limit  of  Acadie ;  and  near  the  mouth  of  this 
river  stood  the  fort  of  Pemaquid,  a  bone  of  contention  from  its 
birth.  The  New  Englanders  claimed  that  Acadie's  western  bor- 
der was  the  river  St.  Croix,  which  now  divides  New  Brunswick 
from  Maiue.  If,  however,  Acadie  was  somewhat  neglected  by 
the  government,  she  was  by  no  means  forgotten  by  the  Church. 
Among  the  Abenakis  of  the  Kennebec  and  Penobscot,  the  Meli- 
cites  of  the  St.  John,  and  the  Micmacs  of  the  peninsula,  the 
influence  of  the  missionaries  dweUing  among  them  was  all  but 
supreme. 

We  have  seen  Phips  capturing  Port  Royal  in  1690,  before  his 
great  repulse  at  Quebec.  But  though  he  took  it,  he  could  not  hold 
it ;  and  soon  after  he  left,  the  French  resumed  possession.  The 
new  governor,  Villebon,  to  be  safer  from  Massachusetts  visitors,' 

1  'I'lie  remoteness  of  the  Nashwaak  Fort  did  not  save  it  fiom  attack.  In  the 
autumn  of  1696  it  received  a  visit  from  ;i  Massachusetts  force  under  Colonel  Haw- 
tliorne  and  old  Ben  Church,  the  scourge  of  the  Canadian  settlements.  The  New 
Ensrlandcrs,  however,  were  lieaten  off  by  Villebon  and  his  Indian  allies;  and  their 
sloops  made  all  haste  out  of  the  river. 


ly.lA'    ON   THE   ACADIAN  BORDER. 


105 


removed  his  hea(k|uarters  to  the  mouth  of  the  Nashwaak  stream, 

opposite  the  point  now  occupied  by  Fredericton  (1692).     Here 

he  built  a  palisaded    fort,  whence   he   directed  the   _   ^ 

'  '  Border  war- 

hloody  raids  of  the  Indians  against  the  border  settle-   fare  between 

•'  °  Acadie  and 

nient  of  New  England.    On  these  raids  Baron  St.  Cas-   New  Eng- 

land. 
tin  did  deadly  service.     The  defenceless  villages  of 

York  and  Oyster  Bay  were  laid  waste,  their  ruins  reeking  with  the 

blood  of  women  and  children  ;  but  at  Wells  the  raiders  were  beaten 

off  by  a  handful  of  settlers  in  a  block  house.      These  barbarities 

were  regarded  by  Frontenac  as  a  necessity,  in  order  to  hearten 

his  Indian  alhes  and  prevent  them  going  over  to  the  English.     It 

must  be  remembered,  in  explanation  rather  than  excuse,  that  a 

vein  of  cruelty  had  been  temporarily  excited  in  the  Canadians  by 

the  fiendish  cruelties  which  they  had  themselves  suffered  from  the 

Iroquois.     To  their  captives,   however,  they  were  by  no  means 

cruel.     They  treated  their  prisoners  so  kindly  that  many  of  these 

were  most  reluctant  to  be  ransouT^d  or  exchanged. 

In  1692  the  New  Englanders  rebuilt  Fort  William  Henry,  at 

Pemaquid,  which   had   been  destroyed   by  the   Indians.      This 

time  they  made  it  a  strong  stone  structure.     It  jutted  out  into 

the  sea,  and  was  a  ceaseless  threat  to  the  Abenakis,  cutting  off 

their  expeditions  along  the  coast.     A  few  years  later  the  French 

sent   d'lberville  with  two  ships  of  war  to  reduce  it. 

'  D'lberville 

D'lberville  sailed  into  tlie  Bay  of  Fundy  to  take  on  destroys  Fort 

■'  ^  WiD'am 

board  Villebon  and  his  Indians.     There  he  fell  in  with  Henrj'at 

Pemaquid. 
two  ICnglish  frigates  and  a  Boston  sloop,  and  a  fierce 

but  unequal  battle  took  place.  One  of  the  English  frigates  was 
raptured,  when  on  the  point  of  sinking  under  the  enemy's  heavy 
broadsides ;  and  the  other  two  vessels  escaped  in  the  thick  fog 
which  had  closed  about  the  struggle.  The  victor  then  sailed  on 
to  Pemaquid,  a  swarm  of  St.  Castin's  Abenakis  following  in  their 
canoes  to  aid  in  the  destruction  of  the  hated  fort.  When  sum- 
moned to  surrender,  the  commandant  of  Fort  William  Henry 
replied  with  fine  defiance ;  but  on  St.  Castin's  hint  that  if  his 
Indians  should  be  enraged  by  a  stubborn  resistance  he  would  not 


',' 


; 


io6 


A  HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


(I 


be  able  to  restrain  them,  the  New  Englander's  valour  weakened. 
On  tasting  the  effect  of  a  few  shells  from  d'lberville's  big  guns, 
the  remnant  of  it  quite  faded  out,  and  the  fort  capitulated.  U'lber- 
ville  sent  the  prisoners  away  under  guard,  to  protect  them  from 
the  Indians,  who  hated  the  commandant,  Chubb,  for  some  past 
treacheries.     The  fort  was  levelled  to  the  ground. 

After  this  triumph  a  daring  scheme  for  the  capture  of  Boston 
was  elaborated,  but  it  fell  to  pieces  through  various  delays  and 
D'iberviUe'8  accident.  D'Iberville,  however,  continued  his  exploits. 
NewfoSnd-  He  sailed  with  his  Uttle  force  to  Newfoundland,  wheie 
land.  ^^  jj^jg  jjj^g  j  ^    ^^^  jj^g  French  had  but  one  settlement, 

the  strong,  fortified  colony  of  Placentia  Bay.  The  English  had  a 
fort  and  settlement  at  Sf,  John's,  with  undefended  fishing  hamlets 
along  the  shores,  besides  a  fortified  post  at  Bonavista.  Acting 
with  the  governor  of  Placentia,  one  Brouillan  by  name,  d'lber- 
ville  took  St.  John's  and  laid  it  in  ashes.  Then,  separating  from 
Brouillan,  he  led  his  little  band  with  great  sufferings  through  the 
winter  wilderness,  and  ravaged  all  the  English  settlements  but 
Bonavista  and  Carbonear.  He  was  making  ready  to  complete 
the  conquest,  when  with  spring  came  orders  for  him  to  go  to 
Hudson  Bay.  How  he  faired  there  we  have  seen  in  a  former 
paragraph.  Having  achieved  all  these  successes  in  the  north, 
d'Iberville*  turned  his  invincible  energies  toward  the  south  and 
founded  for  France  the  great  colony  of  Louisiana. 

By  the  Treaty  of  Ryswick,  in  which  William  HI  gained  the 
formal  recognition  of  Europe  and  the  hopes  of  James  \\  were 
The  Treaty  forever  crushed,  France  and  England  restored  to  each 
of  Ryswick.  Qthgr  ^U  places  taken  in  the  war.  As  fiir  as  the  colo- 
nies were  concerned,  these  eight  years  of  bloodshed  had  brought 
the  question  of  New  World  empire  no  nearer  a  solution.     They 


1  D'Iberville  was  a  native  Canadian,  and  of  a  true  Canadian  type.  He  wis  a 
son  of  Charles  le  Moyne  of  Montreal,  a  man  distinguished  for  Fiis  bravery  and  for 
his  services  to  Canada.  The  greatest  of  these  services  may  he  counted  the  gift 
of  his  eleven  sons,  ot  whom  d'Iberville  was  the  greatest,  hut  all  were  renowned. 
D'Iberville  was  born  in  Montreal  in  1661,  and  died  in  Cuba,  1706. 


IVA/!   OF    THE   SPANISH  SUCCESSION. 


IQ7 


had  well  opened  men's  eyes,  however,  especially  the  eyes  of  the 

colonists  themselves,  to  the  real  nature  of  the  struggle  and  the 

real  points  at  issue.     There  could  now  be  no  lasting  peace  till 

one  side  or  the  other  should    be   acknowledged  master  of  the 

continent.      Soon  after    Krontenac's  death   his  policy  was  seen 

triumphant.     Callieres,  his  successor,  concluded  a  lasting  peace 

with  the  Iroquois,  who  never  again  gave  any  serious  trouble.     The 

tribes  of  north  and  south  grew  steady  in  their  allegiance  to  France. 

All  this  was  Frontenac's  work,  which  Callieres  but  completed  for 

him. 

40.   War    of    the    Spanish    Succession.      Final  Conquest  of 

Acadie.  —  The  peace  sealed  by  the  Treaty  of  Ryswick  lasted  but 

five  years.    Then,  in  1702,  broke  out  the  war  known  to  history 

as  the  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession.     France  and  „^  „,     , 

^  The  War  of 

Spain  fought  against  England,  Austria,  and  Holland,   the  Spanish 

oUCCcSSlOu  ■ 

to  decide  what  prince  should  sit  on  the  Spanish  throne. 
As  far  as  France  and  P^ngland  were  concerned,  this  was  really  a 
colonial  war.  The  question  of  supremacy  in  the  New  World  was 
at  issue.  Louis  XIV  wished  to  put  his  grandson,  Philip  of  Anjou, 
on  the  throne  of  Spain,  in  order  that  France  might  share  in 
the  huge  trade  monopoly  of  Spanish  America,  and  that  the  two 
powers  together  might  crush  out  the  commercial  life  of  the  Eng- 
lish colonies,  as  well  as  the  ocean  trade  of  l^ngland  herself.  The 
war,  therefore,  was  not  a  war  of  kings  but  a  war  of  commerce. 
The  question  of  the  Spanish  crown  was  a  question  of  the  English 
1  ocket.  England  and  her  allies  resolved  that  not  Philip,  but  the 
Austrian  Archduke  Charles,  a  prince  hostile  to  Louis,  should  rule 
the  destinies  of  Spain.  The  great  battles  which  England's  gen- 
eral, Marlborough,  fought  and  won  in  Europe  —  Blenheim,  Ranii- 
lies,  Oudenarde,  Malplaquet —  were  battles  for  New  World  empire, 
just  as  much  as  if  they  had  been  fought  on  the  St.  Lawrence, 
the  St.  John,  or  the  Hudson. 

In  America,  however,  the  stniggle  took  the  form  ot  what  the 
French  called  petite  s^uerre,  —  a  war  of  petty  raid?  and  surprises. 
French  privateers  scourged  the  English  coast  settlements,  while 


^ 


i 


n 


I  ^ii  i 


MM 


I'M 


iM 


5  -i 


1 08 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


the  blustering  old  Puritan,  Ben  Church,  with  his  fleet  of  Massa- 
chusetts whale-boats,  harried  the  Acadian  villages  around  the  head 
Petty  war-  ^^  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The  English  colonies  were 
**'^®-  rapidly  growing  in  wealth  and  population,  but  for  lack 

of  united  action  they  were  feeble  in  war.  A  scheme  of  union  was 
[)roposed,  and  heartily  approved  by  King  William ;  but  the  colo- 
nies, jealous  and  suspicious  of  each  other  from  the  beginning, 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  it.  In  Acadie  the  fort  on  the  Nash',  aak 
lost  its  importance,  and  Port  Royal  again  became  the  capital. 
Early  in  this  war  Boston  sent  another  fleet  to  capture  Port  Royal, 
hating  it  as  the  lair  of  the  French  privateers  who  marred  her 
commerce  ;  but  the  attack  was  ignominiously  beaten  off.  Mean- 
while the  Marquis  de  Vaudreuil,  who  had  succeeded  Calliferes  as 
governor  of  Canada,  despatched  a  war-party  of  French  and  Ind- 
ians under  Hertel,  who  crept  laboriously  through  the  wilderness 
and  fell  upon  the  defenceless  village  of  Haverhill  on  the  Mer- 
rimac.  The  old  story  of  ruthless  massacre  was  repeated,  women 
and  children  falling  under  the  hatchet.  Prisoners  and  booty  in 
abundance  were  carried  off  to  Quebec. 

This  outrage  stirred  up  the  colonies  to  a  fury  which  nothing 
less  than  the  conquest  of  Canada  would  appease.     As  in  former 
schemes,  this  was  to  be  accomplished   by  two  inva- 


Schemes 

and  counter-    sions  at  once.     Quebec  was  to  be  assailed  by  water. 

When  rumour  of  the  scheme 


schemes. 


and  Montreal  by  land, 
reached  Canada,  Vaudreuil  set  himself  to  checkmate  it  by  an  inva- 
sion of  New  York.  Scheme  and  counter-scheme  ahke  came  to 
nothing.  The  ships  which  were  to  have  sailed  from  England  for 
Quebec  were  turned  at  the  last  moment  against  the  Spaniards. 
The  army  which  should  have  taken  Montreal  got  no  further  than 
L:ike  Champlain,  where  the  Iroquois,  pursuing  their  old  policy, 
withdrew  their  support.  An  epidemic,  also,  weakened  the  troops, 
and  robbed  them  of  all  heart.  Vaudreuil's  expedition  fared  no 
better,  but  melted  away  by  desertion  and  disobedience  before  it 
came  in  sight  of  the  English  borders. 

But  the  colonies  were  now  well  aroused.     In  1 709  an  expedi- 


PORT  ROYAL   BECOMES  AiVNAPOJJS  ROYAL. 


109 


tion  under  Colonel  Nicholson,  made  up  of  English  ships  and 
colonial  soldiers,  was  organized  for  the  capture  of  Quebec.     By 
the  time  it  was  ready  winter  was  close  at  hand.     It 
was  too  late  to  attempt  Quebec,  with  the  risk  of  being  ^'kes  Port 
entrapped  by  the  ice ;  but  Acadie  lay  within  reach.  renames°ft 
Port  Rcjyal  was  now  commanded  by  the  brave  Suber-   R°y^f°"' 
case  ;  but  it  was  ill  fortified,  ill  provisioned,  and  almost 
without  ammunition.     When  Nicholson's  swarm  of  ships  appeared 
in  the  harbour,  Subercase  knew  his  plight  was  hopeless.     But  he 
put  on  a  bold  front,  and  resisted  so  hotly  for  a  time  that  he  got 
honourable  terms  for  his  half-starveil  garrison.     With  flying  colours 
and  the  pomp  of  drums  and  bugles  he  marched  his  tattered  troops 
out  of  the  fort ;  and  Port  Royal  passed,  this  time  finally,  into  the 
keeping  of  England.     Nicholson  changed  its  name  to  Annapolis 
Royal,  in  honour  of  Queen  Anne.     He  repaired  its  defences,  and 
left  it  with  a  strong  garrison.     On  the  heels  of  his  departure  came 
the  fierce  old  woodsman,  St.  Castin,  with  the  hordes  of  his  Indians, 
and  laid  close  siege  to  Annapolis  Royal ;  but  the  New  Englanders 
came  safely  through  this  peril  and  at  last  the  wearied  Indians 
stole  away. 

Having  secured  Acadie,  Nicholson  set  his  heart  upon  Quebec. 
England  had  scored  such  triumphs  in  Europe  that  she  could  now 
spare  troops  for  America.  Seven  of  Marlborough's  best  regi- 
ments, victors  at  Oudenarde  and  Ramilies,  were  sent  „^  , 

'  '  The  failure  of 

out  under  General  Sir  John  Hill;  and  the  transports  SirHoveden 

containing  them  were  convoyed  by  a  fleet  of  fifteen 
war-ships  under  Admiral  Sir  Hoveden  Walker.  This  great  force 
gathered  at  Boston  to  perfect  the  plan  of  attack.  As  usual,  an 
army  for  the  capture  of  Montreal  was  organized  on  the  Hudson. 
It  looked  as  if  the  inevitable  hour  had  at  last  come  for  New 
France ;  but  Vaudreuil  strengthened  the  defences  of  Quebec, 
posted  his  veteran  troops  at  Chambly  to  cover  Montreal,  and 
awaited  the  blow.  The  blow  never  fell.  Admiral  Walker  was 
both  obstinate  and  incompetent.  The  elements,  moreover,  fought 
nj^ninst  him.     When  at  length  he  entered  the  St.  Lawrence  he 


,■  ■ 


/ 


Il 

4 

1 

, 

'        i 


■ii! 


no 


A    ///SrOA'V  OF  CANADA. 


laughed  at  the  warnings  of  his  pilot  and  led  his  fleet  too  near  the 
norihern  shore.  Among  the  fatal  reefs  and  shoals  of  the  Kgg 
Islands,  eight  of  his  tail  battle-ships  were  shattered  ;  and  tliat 
ilesoluie  coast  was  sown  thick  with  wreckage  and  the  bodies  of 
tlie  drowned.  Stunned  by  the  calamity,  Walker  fled  away  to  ICng- 
land  with  the  fragments  of  his  ill-starred  force  ;  and  every  steeple 
in  Canada  rang  with  the  joy  of  the  greai  deliverance  (1710). 

'I'he  land-foici',  under  Nicholson,  had  left  Albany  some  weeks 
after  tiie  sailing  of  Walker  from  Boston.  The  fi\tal  news  over- 
took it  on  Lake  Champlain.  There  was  nothing  left  for  Nichol- 
The  Treaty  SOU  to  do  but  march  ingloi  iously  home  again.  Three 
o{  Utrecht.       ^^.^j.^    j.^^^^.    (lyj^)    ti^^'  Treaty  of  Utrc<  ht   brought 

peace,  a  peace  which  marked  an   enormous   expansion   of  the 

power  and   glory   of   England.      From  Spiin    she    wrested   the 

Asiento  Contract,  which  gave  her  a  share   in  the  vast  traffic '  of 

Spanish  America.     I'Vom  France  she  forced  the  cession  of  Acadie, 

Newfoundland,  Hudson  Bay  Territory,  and  the  rich  island  of  St 

Christopher  in  the  West  Indies.     France  retained  in  Acadie  the 

island  of  Cape  Breton  (at  that  time  cnlled  He  Royale),  the  islands 

ill   the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  (includuig  what  is  now  known  as 

Prince  Edward  Island),  and  certain  fishery  rights  along  a  part  of 

the   Newfoundland  coast.     At  last  Fate  was  beginning  to  show 

which  rival  she  would  favour. 

41.    Repose,   Progress,    and    Westward    Expansion. — Great 

Britain,  never  bef  )re  so  powerful,  was  now  overt  'i>ping  all   her 

rivals  in  Europe,  while  in  America  she  had  made  vast 
The  position  ' 

oftheantago-   inroads  upon  the  territory  of  New  France.     Even  yet, 
nistsatthe       ,  ^  ■    ,      ,  ,      •  ,      ,  ^ 

Treaty  of         however,  one  might  have  argued  with  show  of  reason 
Utrecht.  ^  * 

that  the  future  of  the  continent  would  lie  rather  in 

the  hands  of  France  than  of  England.     Cape  Breton,  the  gate  of 

the  Gulf,  was  French.     French  were  the  two  vast  waterways,  the 

1  The  most  lucrative  portion  of  this  was  the  slave  trade.  In  entering  upon  this 
iniquitous  trade,  England,  it  must  bt-  remembered,  was  no  worse  tlian  her  neigh- 
bours. Tlie  eves  of  the  civilized  world  were  not  then  opened  to  the  wickedness  of 
this  crime  against  humanity. 


TIIE  I'OINDING   OF  LOUISBURG. 


Ill 


Detroit. 


St,  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi.  French  were  those  island 
oceans,  the  Great  Lakes  ;  and  to  France  lay  open  all  the  boimdless 
possibilities  of  the  west.  The  prosjject  was  a  fair  one,  and  it  is 
not  strange  if  she  strove  by  secret  means  to  kee[)  her  hold  on 
the  hearts  of  the  Acadians,  trusting  some  liay  to  win  back  their 
treasured  peninsula. 

Karly  in  the  war  a  noted  Canadian  fighter  and  fur-trader,  la 
Motte  Cadillac,  had  estal)Iished  a  fort  at  Detroit,  on  the  waterway 
between  Lakes  Erie  and  Huron,  thus  completing  the 
chain  of  French  supremacy  in  the  Lake  regioii  and  se- 
curing the  connection  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Mississippi 
routes.  About  this  fort,  an  object  of  hatred  to  the  English  and  to 
the  tribes  in  alliance  with  them,  surged  for  years  an  almost  cease- 
less strife  ;  but  the  French  held  their  own,  and  kept  the  highway 
open  between  Canada  and  Louisiana.  For  the  rest  of  Canada, 
however,  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht  began  a  long  periofl  of  peacetul 
growth.  Quebec  at  this  date  had  some  seven  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, Montreal  three  thousand,  and  all  the  rest  of  Canada  about 
sixteen  thousand. 

The  French  now  set  themselves  to  guard  the  entrance  to  the 
Gulf  and  secure  their  grip  on  Cape  Breton.     Thither  were  taken 

the  inhabitants  of  the  Placentia  Bay  settlement.     On  „^    . 

^  The  founding 

a  safe  and  roomy  haven,  then  known  as  English  Har-  of  Louis- 
hour,  they  built  the  town  of  Louisburg.  The  story 
of  Louisburg  is  a  romance.  In  its  fortifications,  which  were  of 
vast  extent  and  designed  by  Vauban,  the  most  celebrated  engineer 
of  the  day,  neither  money  nor  toil  was  spared.  So  mighty  a 
stronghold  was  it  made,  that  men  knew  it  as  the  "  ^'mkirk^  of 
America."  Being  the  headquarters  for  French  pri  .  ■?-rs  in  the 
Atlantic,  it  was  a  ceaseless  threat  to  the  English  colonies;  and  its 
effect  on  Acadie  was  dangerous,  for  it  supplied  a  market  to  the 


S 


«  -  i 


Dunkirk  was  ;i  fortified  seaport  of  immense  strength  on  the  north-east  coast  of 
France.  After  Louis  XIV  had  improved  its  fortifications  it  was  regarded  as 
impiegnabie. 


1     \ 

•             <1 

1 

m 

113 


^1    //ISTO/<V   OF  CANADA. 


I    P 


i 


\ 


Acadians  and  kept  them  from  peaceful  acceptance  of  Fnglisli  nilc. 
,'^eeing  this  great  stron^^hoM  cIom*  at  hand,  they  < duM  not  but 
think  that  all  Acadie  would  be  brought  once  more  beneath  the 
tlag  of  France. 

During  this  period  Knglish  colonization  made  no  prog  n 

Acadie,  which  remained  practically  a  I''rench  province,  i  iic 
The  Aca-  Knglish  held  Annapolis,  formerly   I'ort  Royal,  where, 

duns.  ,jg  ji^  French  days,  the  successive  g<j\ernors  resided. 

They  had  also  a  fishing  post  at  Canso,  on  the  eastern  c\tremity  of 
the  peninsula.  The  Acadians  dwelt  on  the  rich  lands  which  they 
had  diked  in  from  the  sea,  having  populous  settlements  on  the 
Annapolis  River,  on  the  Basin  of  Minas,  and  on  the  isthmus 
comiecting  Nova  Scotia  with  the  mainland.  These  people,  with 
the  might  of  L.ouisburg  in  their  view,  steadily  refused  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  En[,'!sh  Crown,  unless  with  a  reservation 
that  they  should  never  be  called  upon  to  fight  against  France. 
They  professed  to  be  strictly  neutral ;  but  in  reality,  stirr'-d  up 
by  emissaries  from  Quebec  who  strove  to  keep  them  fai  to 

French  interests,  they  aided  the  hostile  Indians  and  their  c.  y- 
men  at  Louisburg.  About  this  time  the  fertile  island  of  St.  John 
(now  the  province  of  i'rince  Edward  Island)  began  to  be  taken 
u])  by  Acadian  families  who  were  unwilling  to  live  beneath  the 
English  sway. 

In  Canada  there  was  steady  progress  under  the  long  rule  of 
Vaudreuil.  The  inhabitants  cultivated  tlax  and  hemp,  and  were 
Growth  of  at  length  permitted  to  manufacture  their  own  clothes 
Canada.  ^f  ^^^^  coarser  kind.     Though  the  fur-trade  was,  as  of 

old,  the  main  support  of  the  colony,  yet  greater  attention  began 
to  be  paid  to  the  rich  shore  fisheries.  Ship-building  flourished, 
and  a  considerable  traffic  in  lumber,  fish-oil,  and  pork  was  opened 
up  with  the  West  Indies.  But  there  was  practically  no  immigra- 
tion to  Canada,  such  as  was  filling  up  the  Fhiglish  colonies  ;  and 
the  population  grew  very  sluggishly.  The  old  rivalry  between 
French  and  English  remained  as  keen  as  ever,  but  it  took  forms 
of  stratagem   and    policy   rather   than   of  bloodshed.      Gaining 


throuj 

FrencI 

was  cl 

New  ^ 

tindid  I 

On  I 

was  ap 


VEHENDRYE   IN   THE  NORTH-WEST. 


\n 


tliiouyli    tluir    missionaries   the   good-will   of  the   Senecas,  the 

Kronch  again  planted  a  tortifiod  post  at  Niagara,  on  land  which 

was  claimed  by  New  York  as  Isnglish  territory.     The  governor  of 

New  N'ork  retorted  by  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  Oswego,  which 

undid  the  advantages  of  the  French  post. 

On  the  death  of  V'audreuil  in  1725  tlie  Marquis  de  licnuharnoia 

was  appointed   i^overnor.     He  turned  his  attention  defniiiely  to 

the  purpose  of  fencing  in  the  ICnglish  colonies.     He  „ 

,  ,  .  .  The  French 

nri)|)obcd  that  no  I'Jighsii  settler  should  be  allowed  to  behind  the 

Alle^hAuies. 
plant  his  cabin  beyond  the  Alleghanies.     To  prevent 

the  spread  of  those  tenacious  pioneers  further  northward,  He.iu- 

harnois  built  a  strong  fort  at  the  head  of  the  narrows  of  Lake 

Chaniplain.      This   became   the    famous    stronghold    of   Crown 

I'uint. 

But   the  most  memorable  achievenunt  of  this  long  peace  in 

Canada  was  the  opening  of  the  far  N   ilh-west  by  the  Sieur  de  la 

\  crendrye.      In  1731  V'erendrye  startec'  westwanl  from  Michili- 

ni.ukinac  with  a  party  made  up  of  his.  three  sons,  a  bold  Jesuit 

missionary,  and  a  few  [jicked   Courcurs  i'-^    Hois.     The  Indians 

had  told  him  stories  of  the  great  Lake  Ouuiipon  ;*  and  this  water 

was  the  immediate  object  of  his  (pitst.     \\y  alternate  paddling 

and  portaging  tlnough  that  stern  wilderness  nortli-wtsi  of  Lake 

.Superior,  ho  reached  in  the  following  sunnner  a  large 

'  00      Vtrendrye 

l;;ke  which  he  c.dlcd  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.     On   and  the  great 

1  1  I  ,•  1      1    1  1      >     1  T  •   North-west. 

Us  shores  he  established  the  stockaded  tradmg-post  ot 

Fort  St.  Charles,  and  here  his  party  had  a  skirmish  with  those  Iro- 
quois of  the  North-west,  the  Sioux,  in  which  one  of  his  sons  was 
killed.  From  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  they  descended  the  wild 
current  of  the  Winnipeg  River  till  they  reached  the  lake  of  their 
(jucst.  Crossing  its  turbulent  waters,  Verendrye  ascended  Red 
River,  and  at  its  junction  with  the  Assinaboine  he  built  Fori 
Rouge,  where  now  stands  our  western  metropolis,  the  city  of 
Winnipeg.     Establishing  their  headquarters  in  these  new  regions, 


1  Winnipeg. 


Wf— * 


if 


t  I  ' 


114 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Verendrye  and  his  sons  explored  and  built  trading-posts  in  every 
direction,  visiting  Lakes  Manitoba  and  Winnipegoosis,  and  as- 
cending the  Saskatchewan  to  its  Forks.  In  their  footsteps  fol- 
lowed other  Canadian  traders ;  and  great  was  the  increase  in  the 
stream  of  furs  that  flowed  through  the  trading-houses  of  Montreal 
and  Quebec.  At  length  in  1742,  one  of  the  younger  Verendryes 
crossed  over  to  the  Missouri,  pushed  up  its  broad  and  tuibid 
flood,  and  on  New  Year's  Day,  1743,  had  sight  of  the  far-otf, 
sky-piercing  summits  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Other  Canadian 
explorers,  pushing  eagerly  northward,  discovered  the  Athabasca 
and  then  the  Peace  River,  and  at  their  junction  built  Fort  Chip- 
pewyan.  In  the  meanwhile,  however,  the  unwonted  peace  had 
come  to  an  end.  France  and  England  had  again  plunged  into 
the  struggle. 


i     1 


CHAPTER   IX. 

SECTIONS.— 4,,    „^  o, 

Fbrphrkll's    Capture   „;  j" ,  T™    A„s™„n   Succks-.ov 
^««Eo   TO  France.     BoTOoltr""""-     «'    '■""'"'^■"^    «- 

had  been  ,he  mere  repos!  oZL  "'  '^''™P'=  «»  concorne,' 

-covered,  France  ani  l^JCt^T'-  ''''"  '"^  -■--1^^' 
--  for  flying  ,g„.„  „,  ead  l:.''r":'  ""  "''  —  * 
"Kilry  m  the  Neiv  World   I    ,   I  "'"•     ■""">  """• 

"voney-seven  yea,^  of  peace    ^.1     '"'   '"'"''^'f>'i"K   trough   ,he 
l«"vee„  them  on  .he  throL,?  ,     ""  J'^''^''^  «^  «ro„^ng  1 

th>*  throne  of  Austria  to  hi,  1,    ,  ''"*"■  ^'''"'<='^  VI,  who  left 

l^,  excluding  „o„,e„;:     tlZ':"'^  '""'-■     ''''■^  «» 
^h  rles  had  set  i,  aside  and  oblaineTb/T'""'  '"  '"''™  ■  '"■' 
'  "'«  Pragmatic  Sanction,  the  «  1  ^""''■"  "  '"""""  '  >  hi^.ory 
Po-rs.     Immediately  afte       ,  "d  ™    °    "'°''  <"^  "'^  '■-"™Pean 
"''  «avar,a  .sprang  forward  to  drt-     '       T"'  ''""«'  Spai". 
pace  Charles  Albert  of  Bavl.a  ™  IT,",     "  ""'  ™P--,  and 
.    'self  ,nto  the  battle,  as  the  clan  ni        T"'     ''"«''"'^  '^rew 
,!"»  '"as  chivalrous;  but  it  had T'         "'  "'"  ''°""S  ea:press 
■'-ce  and  Spain  were  plat^nine  to  "'"'  P"^"-'  '"sis,  too,  for 
■"  »'-P  English  commerce  2,  rr      ''"^'"'"'^  "ionies'and 

"5 


:  S     I' 


,mmm 


'• 


l\ 


ii 


ii6 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Presently  the  war  broke  out  in  Nova  Scotia.     The  governor 
of  Louisburg,  judging  the  time  ripe  for  the  recapture  of  the  penin- 
sula, sent  a  force  of  nearly  a   thousand  men  under 
Du  Vivier 

attacks  du  Vivicr  against  Annapolis  Royal.      Canso  was  de- 

Annapolis.  ,  . 

saoyeil  on  the  way,  and  its  people  sent  prisoners  to 

Louisburg.  .AnnapoHs  was  weakly  garrisoned,  weakly  fortified  ;  but 
its  governor,  Paul  Mascarene,  was  indomitable.  Harassed  night 
and  day  he  held  the  feeble  post,  not  to  be  concjuered  violence, 
not  to  be  deceived  by  stratagem.  At  length  du  Vivier  toid  him  that 
a  strong  fleet  was  on  its  way  from  Louisburg,  whose  heavy  guns 
would  knock  Annapolis  down  about  his  ears.  If  he  would  capitu- 
late at  once,  before  the  fleet's  arrival,  du  Vivier  offered  hon- 
ourable terms.  Ujion  this  the  Enghsh  officers  wished  to  yield, 
but  Mascarene  would  not  hear  of  it.  On  his  refusal  the  baffled 
du  Vivier  marched  his  troops  off  silently  in  the  night. 

As  a  retort  to  this  attack  on  Annapolis  the  New  Englanders 
boldly  resolved  on  capturing  Louisburg.  Governor  Shirley  of 
New  England  Massachusetts,  who  planned  the  audacious  stroke,  was 
capturt^oi  '^  lawyer.  In  his  ignorance  of  military  matters  he 
Louisburg  \\\\\i^,  realized  the  gigantic  task  which  he  was  undertak- 
ing. His  iiinLrance  was  in  this  case  an  advantage,  since  Fortune 
smiled  on  liis  audacity.  Shirley's  plan  rested  upon  swiftness  of 
action,  l.ouisbing  must  be  taken  before  it  could  be  reinforced. 
The  lawyer  governor  showed  fine  powers  of  military  organization. 
In  haste  a  force  of  four  thousand  men  was  gathered,  chiefly 
mechanics  and  farmers,  with  little  discipline,  but  with  vast  enthusi- 
asm and  courage.  A  small  fleet  was  raised,  and  in  an  incredibly 
short  (ime  the  exiiedition  was  under  way.  Tn  command  of  it  was 
William  Pepperell,  a  man  of  excellent  cai)acity  and  rept'tation, 
but  with  no  experience  as  a  soldier  He  began  his  mihtary  life, 
indeec',  as  leader  of  this  great  and  jierilous  enterprise. 

'I'he  expedition  landed  at  l^anso,  and  waited  for  the  ice  to  clear 
away  from  the  front  of  Louisburg.  Here  Pepperell  was  joined 
by  four  Dritish  battle-ships  under  Commodore  Warren,  who  iiad 
been  ordered  to  cooperate  with  the  Xew  England  army.     After 


i-OUlSRl/llG. 


m 


consultation  with  Pepner.i)  vv  *'' 

'<^PPerell  got  his  transporrun  '""8  ""'"doffthe  co" 

'i«l  sail,  bending  befoTe  "  r  "'''  ^"<^  ^  hun-  p.  ' 

tope  Breton  coast    7,°  !  „    '""'""''•  ^P«i  "long  the  feSU 
sentries  on  the  ratnp '*'  fT' "'-""S  "-  -ton.^hed   Sf  li^.^'-^ 
■ng  <iaban,s  Bay,  o„|y  „,,  „  j™  '^'j'."-*  »«  the  strange  flee,  enter 
'  e  "ight  before;  an'd  people  had  b"'  ,  ■'""'■  ''"  ''- «  ^ 
s'arthng  tidings  aroused  ,hL„       In      '  *"'  "'  *»P  ere  the 
boommg  of  cannon  from  the  walls  'L  T'"'  '"'"'  ^'■••™ ;  the 
and  stragglers;  and  DuchamlUtt       "  '"  ="'  '"'■"»8  Parties 
,       hundred  and  fifty  „en  to  .iZZ'        ^°""""'  ™''"d  out  wit    a 
_N'"  Engenders  went  ashore  witTr',"^'"  '"""'"«■     ««      e 
'fe  handful  of  French  were  dveTh    .     "'  """'  *»'  "  resistible 
"■«l>t  the  rfisembarlcation  of   r  ,h       "'"'"  ""'  •°»'".  ■^■•1  before 
^Phantlyaccotnplished.    VZr^r'"  ''"'"^  ""^  ^'en  « 
Lomsbnrg.  'PP^ell  s  anny  was  in  camp  before 

It  must  be  remembered  that  I  „  ■  , 
">«  a  French  officer  had  slid  ^        u'^  '"''  '"  '"""^'y  fortified 
«'"en  against  any  assault    t  w     b^u'f,   ,  '^  "''^  "^  »  -"Tof 
ity  of  a  low,  rocky  ridee  i„»  "'  ""e  extrem- 

between  the  harbour  and  ff  ""'  '"'"  ""=  Atlantic  '""'"""«• 
»«^.  *e  ground  wj  chtfly^r  '''^-     '^''''">  ".  on  the  land 
-Se  of  troops  and  artilfer;      s   '  "t'  ""''"'"'^'^  •»  '"e  pi 
"owned  both  landward  and  ,.,"«,  '"""'"  "'  heavy  meSi 
*e  harbour  stood  a  powe  fu  w"  "to      "'""•     '"  "^  ™"^  o 

::--"-.o.Und;--hr^^^^^^^^ 

-t^Tetr;'';-^;.!;^^^^^^^  Of  con<,ueH„g  it. 


*      I 


Ji8 


A   HISTORY  OF  C AX  A  DA. 


1 


ill 


f      y 


if 

<  11 


The  siege. 


a  shell  into  the  town.  But  Warren  did  indispensable  service  by 
keeping  the  harbour  blockaded,  and  by  capturing  a  strong  supply 
ship  (the  Vigilanty  of  60  guns)  which  came  to  the  relief  of  the 
city.  The  glory  of  the  achievement,  however,  must  rest  with 
New  England. 

As  soon  as  his  troops  were  landed,  Pepperell  began  forcing  his 
way  across  tlie  morasses  between  Gabarus  Bay  and  the  walls, 
erecting  batteries  to  pound  ceaselessly  on  the  ramparts  and  lo 
drop  a  hail  of  shells  into  the  streets.  One  of  the  har- 
bour defences,  the  exposed  Grand  Battery,  was  ca])t- 
ured  at  the  very  beginning,  by  a  combination  of  daring  and  good 
luck ;  and  with  disastrous  effect  its  heavy  guns  were  turned  upon 
the  city.  The  New  Englanders  built  their  batteries  in  such 
exposed  positions  that  the  work  had  to  be  done  at  night,  in  order 
to  escape  the  point-blank  volleys  from  the  walls.  To  silence  the 
Island  Battery  and  let  the  fleet  enter  the  harbour,  an  outwork 
was  raised  on  Lighthouse  Point,  on  the  other  side  of  the  passage. 
At  length,  on  the  landward  side  of  the  doomed  fortress,  the  Nc»v 
England  guns  had  been  pushed  up  to  within  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  of  the  west  gate.  The  desperate  sallies  of  the  besieged 
had  been  again  and  again  hurled  back.  The  walls  began  to 
crumble  under  the  ceaseless  cannonading.  The  heaviest  bastions 
went  to  pieces.  And  the  Island  Battery  was  put  to  silence  by  the 
storm  of  shot  from  Lighthouse  Point. 

Duchambon  had  defied  the  first  summons  to  surrender.  ISut 
when  he  learned  of  the  capture  of  the  Vigilant;  when  he  looked 
on  his  decimated  garrison  and  his  shattered  ram- 
parts ;  when  he  saw  the  fleet  with  its  five  hundred  guns 
making  ready  to  sail  in,  and  the  tireless  New  Englanders  forming 
columti  for  assault..  —  then  he  raised  the  white  flag  and  asked  for 
terms.  In  acknowledgment  of  his  brave  defence  he  was  allowed 
to  march  out  his  troops  with  the  honours  of  war. 

On  taking  over  the  city  Pepperell  gave  a  banquet,  whereat  his 
offtcers  fraternized  pleasantly  with  their  vanquished  foes  anci  the 
chief  citizens  of  Louisburg.      Including  the  garrison,  he  found 


The  capture. 


D'AN  1 7/  /,/•." .S   EXPEDiriON. 


ii9 


nearly  5000  peoj^le  in  the  captured  stronghold.     These  were  sent 

to  France.     Pepperell  and  Warren  were  both  rewarded,  the  one 

with  a  baronetcy,  the  other  with  the  rank  of  admiral.     New  Eng- 

lantl  rang  witli  martial  triumph  ;  but  Canada  staggered  under  the 

unlooked-for  and  dt-adly  blow  (1745). 

43.    Louisburg  restored   to   France.      Boundary   Disputes.  — 

To  France  the  loss  of  Louisburg  was  intolerable.      A  great  force, 

under  the  Duke  d'Anville,  was  speedily  gathered  at  Rochelle  — 

thirtv-nine  ships  of  war,  with  a  swarm  of  transports   „^  ^ 

'      ,  ,  '  The  fate  of 

carrying  some  o(  the  choicest  reufiments  of  France.   d'Anvuie's 
.  ,  ,     »,  .       .  ,  ,  expedition. 

Louisburg    and    Nova   Scotia   were    to    be   retaken, 

Boston  ravaged,  and  all  New  England  snatched  from  English 
hands.  New  England  trembled  at  the  tidings ;  and  Canada  sent 
a  strong  band  of  her  wood-rangers  down  into  Nova  Scotia  to 
cooperate  with  d'Anville  on  his  coming.  But  Fortune  had  no 
favours  for  the  unhappy  d'Anville.  Before  he  was  clear  of  the 
French  coast  two  of  his  ships  were  taken  by  English  cruisers. 
A  succession  of  storms  scattered  the  fleet,  so  that  when,  after 
ruinous  delays,  he  sailed  into  the  rendezvous  at  Chebucto  Bay 
with  two  ships,  he  found  but  one  other  awaiting  him.  His  morti- 
fication brought  on  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  which  soon  proved 
fatal ;  and  fevers  thinned  the  ranks  of  the  troops.  Presently 
Admiral  d'Estournelle  arrived  with  other  ships,  and  took  com- 
mand. But  on  him,  too,  Fate  turned  an  angry  face.  He  was 
stricken  with  insanity,  and  stabbed  himself  with  his  sword.  The 
leadership  now  fell  upon  de  la  Jonquiere,  a  naval  officer  of  dis- 
tinction who  was  OTi  his  way  to  ()uebec  to  relieve  the  governor- 
general.  Meanwhile  a  l^w  more  of  the  wandering  vessels  had 
come  straggling  into  the  rendezvous,  and  Jonquiere  presently  set  out 
to  take  Annapolis.  Ere  he  reached  his  destination  a  great  storm 
blew  up  against  him,  once  more  scattering  the  fleet ;  and  the 
discouraged  remnant  sailed  away  to  France.  The  Canadian  land 
expedition,  in  the  meantime,  had  achieved  a  victory ;  but  it  was 
a  victory  after  the  old  bloody  fashion  of  the  Indian  wars.  A 
company  of  New  Englanders  under  Colonel  Noble  were  in  peace- 


1^  I 


120 


/I   IIISTOKY  OF  CANADA. 


Fate  of 

Jonqui%re's 

expedition. 


ful  occupation  of  (Irand  Vxt  settlement,  when  the  Canadians  hurst 
upon  them  under  cover  of  night  and  killed  eighty  of  their  num- 
ber in  their  beds. 

After  the  ignominious  ooUapse  of  d'Anville's  expedition,  the 
most  formidable  that  had  ever  sailed  for  America,  France  gath- 
ered her  strength  for  another  effort  to  recapture 
Louisburg.  She  sent  out  yet  another  armament, 
under  Jonquiere.  But  Fate  was  on  its  track  at 
once.  Off  Cape  [''inisterie,  m  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  it  was  met  by 
an  English  fleet  under  the  famous  Anson,  and  utterly  annihilated 
(1747).  Among  the  prisoners  was  Jonquiere  himself,  once  more 
balk,.^d  in  his  effort  to  reach  the  governor's  throne  at  Quebec. 

Soon  :tlter  the  battle  of  Finisterre  peace  was  concluded  by  the 
Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  (1748).  The  other  European  powers 
which  had  been  fighting  were  by  this  time  tired  of  war ;  but 
for  France  and  England,  both  of  whom  now  realized  that  the 
Tr.atyofAix-  struggle  was  for  nothing  less  than  colonial  empire  and 
la-ChapeUe.  ^|^g  commerce  of  the  world,  this  peace  was  but  a 
breathing  spell.  The  key  to  the  peace  was  Louisburg,  'i'hat 
stronghold  formed  the  chief  point  at  issue  between  France  and 
England.  France  was  victorious  in  Europe,  and  in  India  she  had 
snatched  from  Englisii  grasp  the  rich  province  of  Madras  ;  but  in 
America  she  had  suffered  a  loss  which  counterbalanced  all  these 
gains.  F^ngland,  on  the  other  hand,  was  embarrassed  by  ( ivil  war. 
Her  energies  were  required  at  home  to  crush  the  rising  of  the 
Young  Pretender.'  To  regain  Louisburg  France  was  ready  to 
give  up  not  only  Madras,  but  all  that  she  had  gained  in  Europe. 
Thus  the  re-  lote  Cape  Breton  stronghold  bought  for  FCngland  an 
advantageous  peace;  but  the  New  Englanders,  whose  blood  and 
treasure  had  won  the  prize,  were  filled  with  indignation.  Their 
treasure,  indeed,  the  mother  <-ountry  handed  back  to  them  ;  but 
their  other  losses  she  could  not  restore. 


.  i 


1  Prince  Charles  Edward  Stuart,  who  was  striving    to   overthrow  the  Gueipli 
dynasty  and  regain  the  English  throne  for  the  House  of  Stuart. 


1  i 


c/:loa'ojv  de  biexvju.e^s  uxe. 


For  eight  years  following  the  -pv„  .      , 
■/50)  .here  «.,  n„,ni„.7,  e  ee   ,«'      ■''"'"'^''•••P^"'- ^- r48- 

-   "..eriy  a,  ,,„,  ,„,,  „,„7,^  "     '  ^'"«  "««  on  ,„„, 
jjreten.e  of  |,c,„e   aion.,  ,l,  "'''  ^>'"="  'he  "'•►«" 

J"^'  -  1-ar.ilya.  if  the  Koter'em  ■-■"',  "«'"  "'"'^  »■"<'  Unties 
--■^  J"  Araeriea  the  to  "if  1  ""*"«"'""''"-«  open 
^.'•o-;a  a,Kl  ,he,.hio  .^.y  Z^T^  "',™"'""  "'"»  Nova 
'■•'•Kland,  b,„  what  Acdie  mean    h    , 'f  '  '","""'  ''^^"  «"«!  eo 

served  a*  i'ovemor-general  of  C'ma.l      ,    ■         '''"'"'"<^'  "'ho 
Jonqujere,  „,ai„,,,„,,,  ,„,,  ,,  ,^^"^'J"''"S    .he  eap„vity  of 

o"'y    he  peninstda  of  Nova  Seo  n       nd V""'""  ■''«"•=  ™-«t 

■he  claun  „r  k,,„,^.  ,^  ,,,,  °  a     n      he  strenuously  assetted 

"ck  a„,l  eastern  Maine,     n,  u!'      "''"''  "»"  fc'-ms  New  liruns- 

■;  P-;  on  the  i,th„,„.  o      ;, ,        '^  .;;;  f--^'  f  '-.hsh  protest 

■^'o..K  the  hue  of  ,h,,  Alle^han  e   h  ™  """  *'  •><"•"  Kiver 

-"■1  ^'"rdy  .:,„„„„„  fr„,„™  ''^  P~Po-'l  .o  settle  ten  thou- 

""'•  """'•i"K  that  the  late  w.^l     ^       ""  ""<"*'  "".  support 
"■«;>otn.     i-oiied  ,n  his      ,  ;       ^  L;"^";-'-"^  ^>epop,„a.ed',C 
;^e  H.env,lle  to  ntark  a  bounda  ^  'T'^'  ""'  ""'  <"»  "'oro, 
"■as  done  by  means  of  me,,]     ,  ^  '""  "'arking 

"f '-"«■,  atti«,,  to  teeT    'c    r  '"™«  ""'  -™'  ='«?. 
'-«  of  ea,.h  of  these  tr  e,  '       ,'"  '"''""'■     ^'  *-^ 
;M'  a  proclan,atio„  of  own  t^!  '".:;«' ,«  '"*"  P'a.e  inscribed 
'"■  valley  of  the  Ohio  till  it  ,^  X.I   h     '^  "''^  "'■^™  '"  "ound 
"el  Ks  restrictions  were  the  ,    /  Al'eghanies.     The  first  T. 

«"«'  -'.  «ath  whetMiet ;::::.;  v'T'"'^'™"-.  -^^^  -  " 

'"""ntams  they  would  n„,   i  ''""^  ""^"<  'hat  west  of  tl 

'■^"ey  at  this  time  wa   „         ""^   ''""'""=d   'o   trade      The  m 

■■^'"  "'■  «'-"i"e.s  expedition     Vttr  """"  '"^  "'*'  -°n 

'  he  whole  qttesfon  of  the  botm- 


■( 


122 


A   HISTOA'Y   Of    CANADA. 


li 


I    . 


ill 


1  j 

1                  * 
f 

i 

1     ,    1 

Ml 

ii 

X_ 

dary  was  now  referred  to  a  board  of  French  and  English  commis- 
sioners meeting  at  Paris.  For  three  years,  from  1750  to  1753, 
the  problem  was  debated,  and  then  the  English  members  of  the 
board  withdrew  from  the  vain  dispute,  doubtless  considering  that 
the  sword  would  more  speedily  settle  it. 

On  the  release  of  Jonquiere  from  his  captivity  in  England  he 
took  his  place  as  governor  of  Canada,  ilisplacing  the  brave  Cial- 

,  ,  ..  lissonniere.  With  him  began  that  reign  of  corrui)- 
La  Jonquiere,  001 

and  the  tion  which  brought  such  shame  on  Canada  and  con- 

beginning  of  '^ 

corruption  in  tributed  SO  mightily  to  the  final  overthrow  of  French 
Canada.  ,  ^  . 

power   on   this   contment.     Avarice    was   Joncpiiire's 

ruling  passion,  and  by  every  kind  of  official  corrujifion  he  sought 
to  enrich  himself.  He  defrauded  Canada.  He  defrauded  the 
King.  The  revenues  from  liciuor  licenses  he  appropriated,  and 
sold  these  licenses  to  all  who  would  pay  for  them,  till  drunkenness 
ran  riot  in  the  colony.  He  got  funds  to  can)'  on  explorations  in 
the  west,  and  used  them,  with  huge  profit,  on  mere  fur-trading 
ventures.  When  at  length  the  complaints  of  Canada  won  tardy 
attention  in  France,  and  he  was  called  to  account,  the  old  miser 
died  in  time  to  escape  the  expenses  of  a  trial.  The  Marquis  du 
Quesne  was  made  governor  in  his  stead.  But  the  example  which 
he  had  set  found  able  imitators,  and  C'anada,  as  we  shall  see  in  a 
later  chapter,  fell  a  prey  to  a  shameless  band  of  official  robbers. 

44.  The  English  Hold  tightens  on  Nova  Scotia.  —  From  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio  let  us  now  turn  to  the  far  east  and  observe  the 
Haijiax  struggle  in  Nova  Scotia.     Here  the  English  took  two 

founded.  ^-^^^t^  steps  toward  securing  their  hold  on  the  country. 

The  first  of  these  was  the  founding  of  Halifax  (1749).  The 
second  was  what  is  known  as  tlie  expulsion  of  the  Acidians, 
about  which  historians  and  romancers  have  so  bitterly  disputed 

(^55)- 
Annapolis    Royal  was  not  held  a  fit  place  for   the   capital  of 

Nova  Scotia,  and  immediately  after  the  Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle 

it  was  resolved  to  build  a  city  on  the  splendid  harbour  of  Che- 

bucto.     The  importance  of  this  site  had  long  been  recognized,  as 


THE   10  UN  DING    OF  HALIFAX. 


n 


is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  was  usually  chosen  as  the  Atlaitic 
rendezvous  of  great  naval  expeditions  to  the  New  World.  '.  he 
scheme  was  announced  in  London,  and  liberal  offers  were  nui.le 
to  desirable  settlers,  sucb  as  retired  officers,  disbanded  soldie-s 
and  sailors,  mechanics,  and  cultivators  of  the  scnl.  To  all  were 
offered  free  grants  of  land,  arms,  tools,  and  a  year's  provisions, 
with  representative  institutions  such  as  they  had  at  home.  The 
proposed  city  was  named  Halifax,'  and  the  Hon.  Edward  (Jorn- 
wallis  was  made  governor.  The  generous  inducements  offered 
by  the  King  brought  forward  many  willing  emigrants,  anil  on 
June  2 1  St  (1749),  the  war-ship  Sphinx,  with  Cornwallis  on 
board,  sailed  into  Chebucto  harbour.  She  was  followed  l)y  a 
fleet  of  thirteen  transports  ;  and  a  population  of  two  thou^:md 
five  hundred  souls  set  about  the  building  of  the  city.  All  sum- 
mer rang  the  astonished  wilderness  with  the  din  of  hammer  and 
axe,  while  the  Indians  looked  on  with  hostile  eyes ;  and  by  autumn 
the  infant  city  had  three  hundred  houses  to  show,  defended  by  a 
palisade  and  two  forts.  Meanwhile  a  party  of  soldiers  had  been 
sent  to  drive  the  French  from  the  north  shore  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy ;  and  the  A(  adians  had  been  called  to  a  conference  with 
(lovernor  Cornwallis.  At  this  conference  they  were  pressed  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  When  they  repeated  their  old 
refusal,  ihey  were  warned  very  plainly  that  unless  they  changed 
their  minds  they  would  not  be  left  much  longer  in  possession  of 
their  lands.  If  they  would  not  become  loyal  subjects  of  their 
new  sovereign.  King  George,  they  were  told  that  they  would  have 
to  be  tiCTted  as  his  enemies.  Stubborn  and  unconvinced,  the 
Acadians  turned  back  muttering  to  their  homes,  and  the  growth 
of  Halifax  went  on  rapidly.  Other  settlers  came,  and  built  Dart- 
mouth on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbour ;  and  the  zealous 
efforts  of  the  home  government,  now  thoroughly  alive  to  the 
jmi)ortance  of  the  colony,  brought  out  a  large  band  of  thrifty  Ger- 
man farmers.     These  pioneers  of  another  speech  went  apart,  and 


1  Named  after  the  Earl  of  Halifax,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  Planta- 
tions, a  body  which  had  the  svipervision  of  colonial  affairs. 


i  h 

1 

•'      ;  1 

s 

:  '  i 

,  I 


124 


A    III  ST  OK  y   OF  CANADA. 


formed  the  settlement  of  I,iinenburg  on  a  fine  harbour  westward 
from  Halifax. 

The  building  of  Halifax  was  a  jnoclamation  to  h'rance  that 
Nova  Scotia  had  passed  out  of  her  hands  forever.  Its  effect  was 
to  make  her  the  more  eager  for  its  recovery.  From  Quebec 
and  from  J.ouisburg  every  effort  was  now  put  forth  to  keep  the 
Acadian  farmers  true  to  France.  Many  of  the  Acadian  parish 
priests,  refusing  to  lend  themselves  to  political  intrigue,  coun- 
selled their  flocks  to  be  loyal  to  the  government  under  which 
they  were  living.  J?ut  others  were  less  scrupulous,  or  else  more 
zealous  for  France.     Chief  among   these  was   the  famous  Abb6 

le  Loutre,  head  of  the  Micmac  mission  at  Shubena- 
Le  Loutre.  ,  •  ,       t  ,-  1         •     . 

cadie.     Le  Loutre  was  a  fierce  partisan  and  a  tireless 

poHtical  agent.  In  comparison  with  the  corrupt  officials  who 
were  now  sapping  the  life-blood  of  Canada,  he  shines  by  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  zeal.  liut  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  others  as  mer- 
cilessly as  himself  in  the  cause  of  French  dominion.  His  ideas 
of  war  were  those  which  Canada  md  New  England  had  learned 
from  their  struggles  with  the  Indians,  —  they  were  those  of  am- 
buscade and  midnight  murder.  Against  the  settlements  of  Hali- 
fax. Dartmouth,  Lunenburg,  the  fierce  Abb4  sent  out  his  painted 
followers  by  stealth,  and  the  old  barbarisms  '  of  border  war  were 
repeated.  The  Acadians  feared  him  with  good  cause.  Those 
whom  he  suspected  of  leaning  to  the  English  he  brought  bark 
to  their  allegiance  by  grim  threats.  Creat  numbers  he  led  out 
from  their  comfortable  homes  to  endure  bitter  hardships  on  new 
lands  north  of  the  bay.  To  the  P'rench  governor  at  Quebec  his 
vigour  and  sleepless  zeal  were  worth  a  regiin,nt  of  veterans.  And 
Governor  Cornwallis  offered  a  hundred  pounds  for  his  head."' 

1  Most  conspicuous  of  these  was  what  i;;  known  as  the  Dartmouth  Massacre. 
One  night,  in  the  early  spring  of  1751,  tho  Indians  —  accompanied,  it  is  said,  by 
certain  Acadian  wood-rangers  in  disguise  —  burst  upon  the  infant  village,  scalped 
and  slaughtered  tnany  settk-rs  in  their  beds,  and  carried  off  otliers  to  captivity. 
The  assailants  escaped  before  the  garrison  of  Halifax,  aroused  by  the  flames  and 
cries,  could  come  to  the  rescue. 

'^  During  this  period  of  supposed  peace,  both  Frencli  and  English  were  paying 
a  bounty  on  their  enemies'  scalps,  as  if  on  the  snouts  of  wolves. 


15    » 


M  I 


'/•///•:   /OA'TS   O.V   THE  MISSICUASir. 


125 


I'he  lino  claimed  l)y  France  as  the  l)onndary  between  Canada 

and   iNova  Scotia  was  llie  small  lidal  stream  of  the  Missiguash, 

m  ar  the  southern  end  of  the  isthmus  of  Chiunecto.   On 

a  MMir  of  upland  jusi;  north  of  this  stream  the  rrench  jour  and  Fort 

Lawrence. 
raised  a  fort,  at  the  buikliuy  of  which  the  unhappy 

Acadians  of  the  isthmus  had  to  labour  half-starved  while  the  money 

intended  to  pay  them  found  its  way  into  the  pockets  of  official  rob- 

iicii.     This  post  was  colled  Heausiijour  ;  and  on  the  other  side  of  the 

Missiguash,  as  a  comicer-check,  the  English  built  Fort  Lawrence. 

I'ort  Lawrence  stood  on  the  site  of  the  once  prosjjerous  Acadian 

village    of    Heaubassin,   which    le    Loutre   and    his    Indians   had 

Inirned   to   prevent   the   villagers  falling  under  Ikitish  influence. 

The  Indians  fought  savagely  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  English 

force  when  it  came  to  found  Fort  Lawrence.     But  as  the  landing 

was  south  of  the  Missiguash,  on  acknowledged  English  territor}', 

the  French  soldiers  of  Jkaus«^jour  looked  on  without  interfering. 

This  forbearance,  however,  was  not  for  long.     Both  sides  strove 

to  encroach ;  and  the  turbid  little  stream  dividing  their  thresholds 

ran  redder  than  ever  with  the  blood  of  ceaseless  skirmishes. 

One  deed  of  all  that  the  shores  of  the  Missiguash  beheld  stands 

out  for  its  treachery.     The  commander  of  Fort  Lawrence  was  a 

certain  Captain  Howe,  who  was  winning  great  influ-   ^, 

'  '  .  The  murder 

once  among  the  Acadians  and  was  therefore  especially  of  Captaiu 

^-  '  ^     Howe, 

obnoxious  to  le  Loutre.     One  morning  the  sentry  on 

I'ort  Lawrence  saw  what  he  took   to   be  a  French  ofiicer  from 

Beaus<^jour,  waving  a  flag  of  truce  on  the  further   bank  of  the 

stream.     Howe,  with  a  white  flag  and  three  or  four  men,  at  once 

came  down  to  the  shore  to  see  what  was  wanted.     The  seeming 

olfirer,  however,  was  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Shubenacadie  Mic- 

ina(s,  dressed  in  a  French  officer's  uniform;  and  hidden  behind 

the  dike  lay  an  armed  band  of  his  followers.     When  the  English 

came  within   easy  range   the   savages  sprang   up,  their   muskets 

blazed  across  the  tide,  and  Howe  fell  mortally  wounded.     At  this 

villainy   the    F'rench    commandant,    the   fierce   but   soldierly  la 

Corne,  was  filled  with  indignant  shame.     He  charged  le  Loutre 


fT' ' 


126 


.'/    HfSrOf'Y   OF   CAYAn.4. 


I !« i 


'\  i 


with  instigating  it ;  but  the  Al>l)t'  doclarc'l  that  his  Indian.^  had 

hi)th  planneil  it  and  r.arried  it  out  without  consulting  him. 

45.    Fall  of  Beaus^jour  and  Expulsion  of  the  Acadians.  —  And 

mnv   the    days   grew   dark   for   the  unliappy  Acadians.     A    few, 

vioidinL;  to  the    lu^,!  sh  <lemands,  had   made  oath  of  allegiance 

to  King  ( k'orge.     Others  had  striven  to  be  neutral.     Yet  others, 

lending  ear  to  le  Loutre,  had  aided  the  marauding  savages,  and 

„,    ,,.  even  ioined  them  in  their  raids.     The  French  governor 

ot  cho  Aca  at  f  hiebec  now  proclaimed  that  all  the  Acadians  must 
<llan^ 

swear  fealty  to  France  and  enroll  themselves  in  the 

Canadian  militia,  on  pain  of  fire  and  sword.  Major  Lawrence,  then 
governor  of  Nova  Scotia,  issued  a  counter-ijroolamation,  declaring 
that  any  Acadian  who,  after  taking  the  oaili  of  allegiance  to  King 
(ieorge,  should  be  found  fighting  in  the  ranks  of  France,  would  be 
sliot  as  a  deserter.  In  such  [x'rilous  dilemma  did  these  iniha|)py 
people  hnd  themselves,  when  all  they  wanted  was  to  be  left  alone, 
liut  inclination,  fear  of  the  Indians,  and  a  too  great  confidence  in 
Fnglish  toleration  mi.-5led  the  Acatlians  tu  tlieir  ruin.  They  lis- 
tened to  Quebec  rather  than  to  Halifax;  and  they  found  the  error 
fatal. 

Toward  the  close  of  1754  the  French  planned  an  invasion  ot 
Nova  Scotia,  from  Ileaust^jour  as  a  base  of  operations.     Report 
of  this  reaching  the  English,  Lawrence  took  counsel 


plannr'l  by 
New  Eng- 


land. 


i 
I 


Canture  of 

BMusejour      with  Shirley,  the  energetic  goveinor  of  M.assachusetts ; 

and  it  was  resolved  to  forestall  the  attack  by  ca])turing 
Beaus6jour  and  driving  the  French  out  of  the  isthmus. 
Both  Shirley  and  Lawrence  felt  the  need  of  swift  action,  for  tlu;. 
knew  that  when  the  French  troops  entered  Nova  Scotia  ten 
sand  Acadians  would  rise  and  flock  to  their  banner.  Their  ,  is 
were  perfected  with  secrecy  and  haste.  A  force  of  two  thousan.; 
New  Englanders,  of  the  same  raw  but  sturdy  material  as  the  con- 
querors of  Louisburg,  was  gathered  in  Boston.  An  t^nglish  olifi*  er, 
Colonel  Monckton,  was  placed  in  ctniimand,  with  the  New  Eng- 
land colonel,  Winslow,  under  him.  On  the  first  of  June  (1755) 
the  fleet  conveying  the  little  army  dropped  anchor  at  the  head  of 


FALL    01  BEALS&JOUR. 


127 


Chignecto  Ray,  before  the  bastions  of  Heaust^jour.  The  fort  was 
then  held  by  no  such  redoubtable  rommaiuler  as  the  brave  la 
(]orne.  It  was  governed  by  the  <<  irrupt  and  incompetent  Vergor, 
placed  there  not  to  deiend  the  honour  of  C'anada  but  to  defraud 
the  King.  On  his  cowardice  the  intrei)id  le  Loutre,  whom  he 
feared,  was  able  to  exercise  some  check;  but  his  dishonesty  was 
beyond  the  Abbe's  reach.  He  was  a  mere  creature'  of  Digot,  the 
inlendant,  of  whose  inicjuities  we  shall  read  in  a  latci  paragra|)h. 

On  news  of  the  approach  of  the  Knglish  shipN,  Vt'igor  had 
summoned  the  Acadi.ms  of  the  snrrouiuling  countr)  to  the  defence 
of  Heausejour.  There  were  nearly  fifteen  hunihetl  of  them  in  all. 
Three  hundred  he  took  into  the  fort  to  strengthen  his  garrison. 
The  rest  were  sent  into  the  woods,  to  harass  the  invaders  with 
skirmishing  and  night  attack.  The  New  Knglanders  panof 
landed  without  opposition,  on  the  southern  side  of  ^^t-iusejour 
the  Missiguash,  and  were  joined  by  the  garrison  of  Fort  Lawrence. 
Afior  a  sharp  engagement  the)'  forced  the  passage  of  the  Missi- 
guash. A  strong  position  w.is  occupied  on  the  ridge  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  rear  of  lleaust'jour.  .After  a  few  days  of 
entrenching  and  reconnoitring  the  lines  were  pushed  closer  in, 
and  some  mortars  were  got  into  position.  These  hurled  shell  into 
the  fort,  and  the  P>ench  cannon  answered  hotly.  As  Heausejour 
was  attacked  on  but  one  side,  there  was  free  connnunication 
between  the  fort  and  the  surrounding  country ;  and  on  the  arrival 
of  news  that  no  help  could  be  expected  from  Louisburg,  that 
city  being  strictly  blockaded,  many  of  the  disheartened  .\cadians 
walked  (juietly  out  of  the  fort  and  off  into  the  woods  to  rejoin 
ihcir  families.  Presently,  while  the  English  were  yet  toiling  to 
get  their  siege-guns  into  position,  the  game  was  decided.  A  shell 
from  an  English  mortar  crashed  through  the  vaulted  ceiling  of  a 
( asemate  in  Beaust^jour,  and  by  its  explosion  killed  a  number  of 
the  otficers  who  were  sitting  there  at  breakfast.  The  result  was 
instantaneous.  When  he  was  not  safe  even  in  his  casemates, 
what  could  the  valiant  Vergor  do  but  capitulate?  In  spite  of  the 
ler  <»  protests  of  le  Loutre  and  some  of  the  officers,  he  hoisted 


^1 


128 


A   HISTORY   OF  CAXADA. 


i 


f 

i 


the  flag  of  truce  and  gave  up  the  fort.  The  garrison  was  allowed 
to  march  out  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  was  sent  to  Louisburg, 
under  pledge  that  not  for  six  months  would  they  bear  arm;:  against 
the  English.  The  Acadian  prisoners  were  pardoned  on  the  plea 
that  they  had  fought  under  compulsion.  Beaus^jour,  becoming 
an  English  stronghold,  was  renamed  Fort  Cumberland. 

After  the  fall  of  Beaus^jour  came  that  pathetic  tragedy  known 
as  the  expulsion  of  the  Acadians.     Up  to  the  time  of  the  attack 

on  Beausi^iour  those  Acadians  who  had  deserted  their 
Removal  of  .     ^  t  , .       •      i      i    ,  r 

th  J  Acadians  homes"  m  Nova  bcotia  had  been  free  to  return  and 
decided  upon.  .  ^     n     i     •  ■  i 

resume  possession  of  all  their  property,  on  the  sole 

condition  of  allegiance.  The  English  policy  toward  these  people 
had  been  one  of  persistent  forbearance  and  generosity.  It  was 
hoped  that  under  such  treatment  they  might  become  good  sub- 
jects of  the  British  Crown  and  bring  their  excellent  virtues  o{ 
industry  and  frugality  to  the  liuilding  up  of  the  province.  They 
had  been  repeatedly  invited  to  take  the  oath  with  the  promise 
that  they  should  not  for  the  time  be  rer|uired  to  do  military 
service.  Under  the  long  years  of  English  rule  they  had  prospered 
and  multiplied,  and  unlike  their  brethren  in  Canada  they  had 
borne  no  burden  of  taxes.  Doubtless  if  left  to  themselves  they 
would  have  heartily  accepted  their  new  rulers,  but  the  policy  of 
France  forbade  that  they  should  be  left  to  themselves.  In  their 
simplicity  they  were  good  subjects  for  political  intrigue  to  work 
rt'ith.  Moved  by  persuasions,  fervid  appeals,  terrifying  threats, 
they  became  a  menace  to  the  English  power,  all  the  more 
dangerous  because  concealed.  They  were  the  enemy  within 
the  gates.  While  professing  neutrality  they  lent  ceaseless  aid 
to  Louisburg  and  Beaus^jour;  and  they  hopefully  awaited  the 
day  when  they  might  once  more  serve  their  old  flag.  The  Eng- 
lish, after  gaining  Beaus<:'jour,  could  not  spare  enough  troops  to 
hold  it  if  it  was  to  remain  girdled  by  a  hostile  population.  Their 
long  patience  was  by  this  time  exhausted  ;  and  if  the  step  now 
decided  upon  seems  to  us  a  cruel  one,  we  must  remember  to 
judge  it  by  the  standards  of  that  day  rather  than  of  this.     The 


THE   EXPULSIO.V  OF  THE  ACAD  IAN S. 


129 


whole  spirit  of  border  warfare  was  merciless.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, too,  that  the  argument  of  necessity  is  a  strong  one. 
The  English  had  been  slowly  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  Nova 
Scotia  could  not  be  made  an  English  colony  except  by  ridding  it 
of  its  French  population.  When  two  foes  like  France  and  Eng- 
land were  fighting  for  a  continent,  it  was  hardly  to  be  supposed 
that  either  would  forego  a  vast  advantage  on  grounds  of  pure 
humanity. 

During  the  siege  of  Beaust^jour  Governor  Lawrence  summoned 
deputies  from  all  the  great  Acadian  settlements  at  Minas,  Grand 
I're,  and  Annapolis,  and  once  more  urged  them  to  take  the  oath. 
'Ihey  obstinately  refused.  He  warned  them  that  the  time  was 
come  when  their  decision  must  be  final.  They  would  have  to 
choose,  and  at  once,  between  allegiance  and  exile.  With  a  few 
exceptions  they  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  even  this  plain  speaking. 
Thereupon  they  were  dismissed,  and  went  home  in  a  blind  faith 
that  France  would  succour  them.  The  few  who  had  taken  the 
oath  were  secured  in  ,'.heir  possessions ;  and  the  stern  decree  of 
exile  went  forth  against  the  rest. 

The  preparations  for  carrying  this  decree  into  effect  went  on 
swiftly  and  secretly.  Monckton,  at  Beaust-jour,  seized  about  four 
hundred  men ;  but  the  other  inhabitants  of  that  xhe  great 
region  escaped  into  the  wilds.  Colonel  Winslow,  banishment, 
inarching  in  haste  to  Grand  Pr6,  summoned  the  villagers  to  meet 
hin  in  the  chapel,  read  them  the  decree  of  banishment,  shut  the 
di)ors  upon  them,  and  held  them  all  close  captives,  ("aptain 
Murray  in  like  manner  seized  the  men  of  Piziquid  ;  and  Major 
Ilandfield  (Captured  those  of  the  Annapolis  district.  A  few  active 
si)irits,  attentive  to  the  first  mutterings  of  the  storm,  got  away  iu 
time,  and  sought  refuge  in  the  forests  or  across  the  liay.  Then 
followed  a  long  and  trying  season,  for  the  tran.s])orts  were  not 
ready.  As  the  ships  came  in  whicli  were  to  bear  them  into  exile, 
the  men  were  marched  down  to  the  shore  in  scjuads.  and  their 
families  and  movable  possessions  were  then  distributed  to  them. 
The  provision  ships  were  long  in  coming  ;  and  the  grievous  work 


ill 


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1  1 

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130 


^1   lIISrORY   OF  CANADA. 


dragged  on,  amid  daily  prayers  and  lamentations,  till  far  into 
December,  The  greatest  care  was  taken  to  avoid  the  separation 
of  families,  and  as  far  as  could  be  managed  the  inhabitants  of 
each  village  were  sent  off  together.  Down  to  the  flat  red  shore 
rumbled  and  creaked  the  rude  Acadian  carts,  heaped  with  house- 
hold treasures ;  and  beside  the  carts  moved  the  weeping  peasant 
women,  their  bewildered  children  clinging  to  their  skirts.  Siiip 
after  ship  sailed  from  Minas,  Chignecto,  and  Anhapolis,  and 
distributed  their  sorrowful  burdens  among  the  English  colonies  of 
the  coast.  The  numbers  of  the  exiled  amounted  to  more  than 
six  thousand.'  One  ship-load  overcame  its  crew,  ran  the  vessel 
ashore  at  St.  John,  and  escaped  to  Quebec,  whither  they  were 
followed  by  hundreds  of  those  who  had  in  the  beginning  evaded 
capture.  Some  found  their  way  to  Louisiana,  where  they  formed 
a  separate  colony,  and  where  their  sons  retain  to  this  day  their 
picturesque  and  quaint  peculiarities.  Many,  with  an  unconquer- 
able thirst  for  home,  forced  their  way  back  to  Acadie,  where, 
being  no  longer  dangerous,  they  were  suffered  to  settle  dovvn 
again  in  peace.  Their  descendants,  and  those  of  the  few  who 
had  accejJted  English  sway,  now  form  a  large  and  influential  part 
of  the  population  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia,  liy  tliis 
great  banishment  the  best  lands  of  Nova  Scotia  were  left  empty, 
and  the  governor  strove  to  fdl  them  up  with  an  English  population  ; 
but  it  was  five  years  before  life  began  to  stir  anew  on  the  bosom 
of  those  desolated  meadows. 

46.  The  Struggle  in  the  West.  —  Turning  back  from  Acadie 
to  the  west,  we  find  the  struggle  no  less  fierce  on  the  great  rivt-r 
Ohio  than  on  the  little  muddy  stream  of  the  Missiguasli.  On  the 
The  Ohio  death  of  Jompiiere  the  Marquis  Duquesne,  as  we 
valley.  )\diSi^   seen,   had  been   made   governor.       Duquesne 

pushed   sharply  the  claims   of   France  to  the  whole    Ohio  val- 
ley.    As  soon  as  the  boundary  commission  at  Paris  broke  up 


1  It  was  something  over  i8,ooo  people  that  Louis  XIV  had  proposed  to  remove 
from  New  Yorlc,  without  ;i  tenlli  of  the  provocation  tiiat  the  Acadians  had  given. 


THE   STRUGGLE   IN   THE    WEST. 


131 


he  got  the  militia  of  Canada  into  fighting  trim,  foreseeing  war. 
The  habitam,  as  the  rensitaire  farmers  of  Canada  were  called, 
were  a  more  military  race  than  the  Acadians.  They  had  been 
trained  in  the  fur-trade  and  in  the  Indian  wars.  Duquesne  sent 
an  expedition  tlown  the  Alleghany  River  to  the  Ohio,  to  build  new 
forts  and  strengthen  those  already  established.  This  expedition 
produced  a  great  effect  on  the  western  trib(?s,  and  many  chiefs 
who  had  been  coquetting  with  the  English  hastened  to  vow  fidelity 
to  France.  The  expedition  was  marked  by  Dinwiddle,  the  watch- 
ful governor  of  Virginia,  who  at  once  sent  messengers  to  warn 
it  away  from  what  he  claimed  as  English  territory.  The  leader 
of  this  difficult  and  delicate  mission  was  a  youth  of  twenty-one. 
His  name  was  (leorge  Washington.  He  accomplished  his  task 
with  that  dauntless  energy  and  courage  which  he  was  afterwards 
to  display  in  a  wider  sphere.  H.,  was  courteously  received  by 
St.  I'ierre,  the  French  leader,  whom  he  found  established  in  Fort 
le  Bccuf  on  the  Alleghany  ;  but  his  errand,  needless  to  say,  proved 
vain. 

Seeing  the  F'rench  determined  to  make  good  their  hold  on  the 
Alleghanies,  the  F^nglish  organized  a  strong  trading  company, 
called  the  Ohio  Company,  which  purchased  a  large  port 
area  of  land  in  the  region  under  dispute.  The  shrewd  ^»'*i"*sne. 
eye  of  Virginia's  governor  saw  that  the  key  to  the  Oliio  valley  was 
the  junction  of  the  Monongahela  and  Alleghany  rivers,  where  now 
stands  Pittsburg.  Here  the  Ohio  Company  began  a  fort.  When 
it  was  nearly  built  the  French  arrived.  They  drove  out  the  garri- 
son, tore  down  the  unlinished  structure,  and  on  the  foundations 
raised  a  more  imposing  stronghold  which  they  called  Fort  Du- 
quesne. Thiy  were  doubtless  grateful  to  their  rivals  for  pointing 
out  the  value  of  the  site. 

Though  there  was  still  the  fiction  of  a  peace  between  France 
and  lOngland,  Dinwiddle  not  unnaturally  regarded  this  act  as  a 
declaration  of  war.  Washington  was  sdnt  out  again,  this  time 
with  a  force  of  regulars  and  backwoodsmen,  to  repel  all  further 
encroachment,  and  to  take  Fort  Ducjuesne.     Hearing  of  Wash- 


■    T 


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132 


A   mSTOKY   OJ-    CANADA. 


Washington 
at  Fort 
Necessity. 


ington's  approach,  the  commander  of  the  fort  despatched  a  small 
party  to  reconnoitre  and  to  warn  the  trespassers  away  from 
French  soil.  The  two  parties  m(;t.  Ivich  suspected  the  other 
of  treachery.  In  those  great  solitudes  it  was  like  men  fighting 
in  the  dark,  shocked  by  strmge  terrors.  The  Knglish  began  the 
battle  ;  but  how  far  their  ;k  tiou  was  justifiable  it  is  now  hard  to 
decide.  The  French  were  cut  to  pieces ;  and  French  accounts 
called  the  aft'air  an  assassination.  Mowever  the  case  may  be,  this 
small  but  desperate  skirmish  between  two  handfuls  of  men  in  the 
wilderness  was  the  spark  from  which  soon  sprang  a  conflagration. 
Washington's  main  camp  was  on  what  were  called  the  (ireat 
Meadows  ,  and  there,  expecting  immediate  assault  in  force  from 
Fort  Duquesne,  he  made  haste  to  entrench  himself.  To  the 
slight  defences  which  he  was  able  to  throw  up  he 
gave  the  name  of  Fort  Necessity  ;  and  hither  came 
reinforcements  of  militia  and  Indians,  till  he  had 
about  three  hundred  and  nfty  men  inside  the  feeble  lines.  To 
the  attack  came  de  Villiers  from  Fort  Duquesne,  with  an  over- 
whelming array.  After  a  nine  hours'  fight  in  drenching  storm,  the 
trenches  a  slough  of  blood  and  mire.  Fort  Necessity  surrendered  ; 
and  Washington,  marching  out  with  honours  of  war,  led  his  de- 
spondent little  army  back  across  the  mountains.  When  de  Villiers 
returned  in  triumph  to  Fort  Duquesne  he  left  not  a  vestige  of 
English  control  in  all  the  Ohio  valley.  The  Indians  outdid  oacii 
other  in  their  devotion  to  the  victors  ;  and  in  the  war  wliich 
immediately  followed  their  tomahawks  and  tactics  brought  disaster 
on  the  English  more  than  once. 

In   the  following   year   the   Fnglish   government   ordered  two 
regiments  to  .America,  under  the  command  of  (General  Hraddoi  k. 

France  promi>tlv  itrepared  a  much  larger  force  for 
The  English  11.11  o 

plan  of  Canada,  under  the  leadership  of  Baron  Dieskau.     At 

the  same  time  she  sent  out  the  Manjuis  de  Vaudreuil 
as  governor,  to  relieve  Duquesne,  whose  health  had  broken  down. 
Vaudreuil,  a  son  of  the  former  governor  of  that  name,  was  a 
native  Canadian,  and  his  appf)intment  please*!  the  people.     Hoth 


BKADDOCK'S  EXPEDITION. 


m 


France  and  England  now  protested  that  nothing  was  further  from 
their  thoughts  than  war ;  but  both  made  every  effort  to  get  in  the 
fir;,t  blow.  On  Braddock's  arrival  a  meeting  of  the  colonial  gov- 
ernors was  held,  and  the  reduction  of  Torts  Duquesne,  Niagara, 
and  Crown  Point  was  deci<led  upon.  The  expedition  against 
Heaus^jour,  already  described,  was  at  this  time  well  under  way, 
thanks  to  the  tireless  energy  of  Shirley.  The  attack  on  Fort  Du- 
quesne Rraddock  took  upon  himself;  that  on  Niagara  was  en- 
trusted to  Shirley ;  and  that  on  Crown  Point  to  Colonel  William 
Johnson.' 

While  Beaust'jour  was  crumbling  l)efore  the  New  England  guns, 
Rraddock  was  forcing  his   way  through  the   difficult  wilderness 
between  the  Virguiian  settlements  and  Fort  Dutjuesne. 
His  army  consisteti  of  one  thousand  British  regulars  expedmon^ 
and  twelve  hundred  of  the  Virginia  militia,     (i^ontre-  Duq'uesne!"^* 
coeur,  the  commander   of  F'ort   Duquesne,  felt  that 
there  was  little  hope  of  withstanding  such  a  force ;  but  he  resolved 
to  throw  down  the  gage  of  battle  ere  the  enemy  could  reach  his 
threshold.     He  threw  out  into  the  forest  a  party  of  two  hundred 
Frenchmen  and  five  hundred  Indians,  under  the  command  of  a 
daring  officer  named  Beaujeu.     These  skirmishers,  trained  woods- 
men all,  placed  themselves  in  ambush  on  both  sides  of  the  trail 
along  which  Braddock  was  moving. 

The  English  army  had  just  crossed  the  Monongahela,  and 
Braddock  was  momently  expecting  the  gray  walls  of  the  fort  to 
rise  upon  his  view.  It  was  a  clear  day  in  July,  and  the  sun  beat 
fiercely  down  upon  the  long  line  of  scarlet  and  blue  which  fdled 
the  path  between  the  deep  green  forest  walls.  Suddenly  a  French 
officer,  wearing  the  war-paint  and  head-dress  of  an  Indian,  ap- 
peared in  the  middle  of  the  road  ;   and  the  vanguard  haUed  in 


1  Johnson  was  a  settler  on  the  Upj)ei  Hudson.  He  was  not  ii  trained  soldier, 
but  was  brave  and  sagacious.  His  influcTice  with  the  eastern  cantons  of  the 
Iroq  wis  was  enormous,  and  kept  them  from  going  over,  like  the  Senecas,  to  the 
French  alhance.  He  was  married  to  Molly  lirant,  sister  of  the  famous  Chief  Brant 
of  tilt;  Mohawks. 


% 


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.   1 

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134 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA, 


wonder.  At  a  signal  from  this  apparition  there  shrilled  the 
daunting  war-cry  of  unseen  savages  ;  and  out  of  the  sunny  leaf- 
age on  either  hand  streamed  a  murderous  storm  of  leail.  The 
Knglish  at  first  fired  steadily  at  their  invisible  foes ;  but  know- 
ing nothing  of  forest  warfare  they  held  solidly  to  their  ranks,  and 
so  offered  a  helpless  target.  When  the  main  body  came  up,  it 
caught  the  confusion  of  the  vanguard ;  and  the  whole  army, 
Braddock's  bewildered  and  cowed  by  the  murderous  converging 
defeat.  ijj.^.  ,^,^jj  |^y  jj  jje^yg  of  utter  powerlessness,  huddled 

together  in  a  trembling  mass.  The  Virginian  militia,  who  knew 
how  to  fight  in  the  woods,  scattered  out  in  skirmish  lines  behind 
rock  and  tree,  and  would  probably  have  saved  the  day  but  for 
Hraddock's  folly.  He  thought  it  looked  cowardly  to  fight  behind 
trees,  and  beating  them  with  the  flat  of  his  sword  he  orderc' 
them  back  into  line.  Appalling  were  the  heat  and  tumult.  The 
stupefied  soldiery,  too  stubborn  to  run,  too  panic-stricken  to  see 
what  they  were  doing,  fired  at  friend  and  foe  alike,  or  shot  thcT 
useless  wea|)ons  into  the  air.  All  through  the  afternoon  went  on 
the  carnage.  Ihaddock  stormeil  about  the  melee,  fearless  and 
fiirious.  He  had  four  horses  shot  beneath  him.  At  length  he 
ordered  a  retreat ;  and  even  as  he  did  so  his  fate  overtook  him, 
and  he  fell,  shot  through  the  lungs.  Indomitable  to  the  last,  he 
ordered  that  he  was  to  be  left  on  the  field;  but  the  militia  dis- 
regarded his  words  and  carried  him  to  the  rear.  The  retreat 
was  covered  by  Washington  with  a  small  party  of  his  Virginians, 
who,  fighting  like  their  foes,  were  able  to  hold  them  in  check. 
Washington  had  two  horses  killed  under  him,  and  his  uniform 
was  torn  with  bullets.  Of  the  whole  force  scarce  six  hundred 
left  the  field,  and  iliese  poor  remnants  fleil  trembling  back  to 
Fort  Cumberland,  with  their  wounded  and  their  shame,  and  left 
the  frontier  settlements  naked  to  ravage. 

The  mistake  made  by  Braddock  was  in  refusing  to  adapt  his 
tactics  to  the  situation.  He  was  superbly  brave,  energetic,  vigi- 
lant, and  tenacious.  He  did  not,  as  he  has  been  accused  of 
doing,  lead  his  men  into  an  ambuscade.     His  line  of  march  was 


/0//JVSO.V'S    VTCTOKV   AT  FORT    GEOKGE. 


'35 


well  arranged,  and  he  had  scouting  parties  out  on  both  sides  to 
gu.ird  against  surprise.  But  he  scorned  the  inihtia,  on  whose 
txijerit MUX'  in  Indian  warfare  he  should  have  depended  ;  and  lie 
thougiit  it  unworthy  of  men  to  dodge  behind  cover.  His  regu- 
lar.,  excellent  troops  for  fighting  in  the  open,  might  have  done 
good  service  here  also  had  the  Virginians  been  in  front  to  sliovv 
them  how.  'Die  unhap|)y  general,  as  he  lay  dying,  murmured 
grateful  i)raise  to  the  militia,  and  almost  his  last  words  were, 
"We  shall  better  know  how  to  deal  with  them  another  time." 
'I'iiere  was  rejoicing  in  (Canada,  lamentation  in  the  coloincs. 
The   expedition  of  Shirley  against    Niagara  was  at    once    altan- 

doned.     But    Johnson,  with   his  undisciplined   back- 

1      "  1  1  •  Johnson's 

woodsmen'  and  his  Mohawks,  was  not  to  be  diverted   victory  at 

Fort  George . 

from  his  attack  on  Crown  Point.  Of  this  ])lan,  how- 
ever, the  French  had  got  timely  warning  from  i)aj)ers  of  Brad- 
dock's  found  on  the  bloody  field  of  Monongohcla.  Baron  Dies- 
kau  and  his  veterans,  who  were  just  setting  out  for  the  capture 
of  Oswego,  were  sent  instead  to  Lake  ("hamiilain.  Johnson 
built,  as  his  base,  a  fort  on  the  Hudson,  known  thereafter  as 
I'ort  lulward.  Thence  he  marched  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Oeorge, 
h)urteen  miles  distant,  and  there  erected  Fort  Oeorge.  While 
he  w;is  thus  occupied  the  I'Vench  general,  with  a  portion  of  his 
force,  moved  upon  Fori  Edward.  Johnson  sent  out  a  thousand 
men  to  check  him,  but  this  detachment  was  utterly  routed.  It 
saved  F'ort  Edward,  however ;  for  Dieskau,  thinking  to  follow 
\ip  his  advantage,  turned  swiftly  upon  Fort  George.  Tlie  Eng- 
lish hastily  threw  up  breastworks  of  logs.  Their  position  was 
a  strong  one,  and  they  outnumbered  their  assailants.  Dieskau 
was  impetuous  ;  and  he  burned,  moreover,  to  emulate  the  vic- 
tory at  Monongahcla.  Me  hurled  his  troops — regulars,  Cana- 
dian militia,  Indians  —  against  die  English  front  and  flank.  But 
vain  was  his  valour.     Six  hundred   of  his  men  were  cut   down 


1  Volunteers  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island, 
and  New  York. 


J 

1 

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136 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


amid  the  underbrush.  The  rest  were  driven  back  in  wild  rout ; 
and  he  himself,  desjierately  wounded,  was  carried  a  prisoner 
into  the  pjiglish  camp  (1755).  The  Mohawks,  furious  at  the 
loss  of  some  of  their  highest  chiefs,  howled  for  vengeance  upon 
him.  But  Johnson  held  them  with  a  stern  hand,  and  treated  \\\^ 
illustrious  c;)ptive  with  all  courtesy.  For  this  success  Johnson  was 
made  a  baronet  ;  and  on  the  scene  of  it  was  built  Fort  William 
Henry.  Wlien  the  year  closed  it  left  the  French  overwhelmingly 
triumphant  in  the  west ;  but  checked  on  Lake  George,  and  beaten 
in  Nova  Scotia. 


^  ■ 


CHAPTER    X. 

SECTIONS: —  47,  the  Seven  Years'  War.  Fai-i-  of  J'ort 
William  Henry.  48,  the  Combatants  compared.  Louis- 
lURG  once  more.  49,  Ticondehooa.  50.  the  Beginning  ok 
iiiE  End. 


47.    The   Seven   Years'  War.     Fall    of   Fort   William   Henry. 

—  And  now,  after  .P.erce  battles  in  America,  in  India,  and  on  the 

.-.ca,  Endand  formally  declareil  war  (17C6).     France 

'        ^  ^  V    » J    /  Tijg  Seven 

fcjjluwed  at  once,  and  other  European  powers  rushed   Years'  war 

begins 
in.     With    France  were   allied    Austria,    Russia,    and 

numerous  lesser  states.     By  the  side  of  England  stood  Prussia,  a 

small  kingdom,  but  terrible  in  war,  because  ruled  by  one  of  the 

most  wonderful  of  leaders,  King  Frederick  the  Great.     Though 

England  came   out    triumphant  from   this  grim  struggle  of  the 

Seven   Years'  War,  it   must   be    borne   in   mind    that   the   glory 

(kies  not  all  belong  to  her.      She  was  able  to  win  victories  at 

Louisburg,  at  Quebec,  and  on  the  plains  of  Ilindostan,  because 

lici  ei\emies'  hands  were  kept  busy  in  Europe  by  her  tireless  and 

indomitable  ally.     If  the  weak  Ixjuis  XVI  had  not  been  dragged 

by  the  intrigues  of  favourites  into  attacking  Frederick,  all   the 

immense  military  power  of  France  might  have  been  put  forth  in 

America  and  India.      The  great  duel  for  colonial  empire  might 

have  had  f^tr  other  ending,  and  the  current  <     history  might  have 

heen  turned  into  so  different  a  channel  that  imagination  fails  to 

picture  it. 

At  die  first  of  the  war  the  English  suffered  heavily.     The  line 

of  the  Alleghanies,  left  open  by  Braddock's  defeat,  ran  red  with 

»37 


p-"<Hi^Bai 


III 


I^vS 


A    //ISTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


blood.     The  border  setllemenls  of  I'ennsylv.i?iia  were  raided  by 

Indian  war-parlies,   till   all    the   lod;^'es  of  the  Ohio  willev  were 

filled  with  English  prisoners  and  lOnglish  ^^(•:llps.      I'lu: 

vania'sbor-     (hiaker  assembly  at   Philadelphia  covered  itself  with 
ders  ravaged.      ,  .     /  ,    -       ,     ,        ^ 

shame  l)y  retiismg  to  detend  the  frontier.      It  cared 

only  to  extort  concessions  from  the  governor.     .Ml  the  old  ngonios 

of  Ixjrtler  battle  were  repeateil,  but  now  along  a  border  th.it  had 

never   been  taught    to  protect  itself — a  border  naked  of  forts, 

block-houses,  and  warlike  defenilers. 

l''rance  now  sent  out  to  Clanada,  with  some  veteran  regiments, 

one  of  her  ablest  commanders,  the  heroic  and  \aliant  Montcalm.' 

With   him  were  de   l,evi,  de   Hougainville,  and  de   Mourlamacpie, 

worthy  lieutenants   to    such  a  <  hief.     To  oppose   Montcalm  the 

i'lnglish  government,  then  led  by  the  incompetent  Duke 
Montcalm  <->         o  j  i 

comes  to  of  Newcastle,  sent  out  the  I'larl  of  Loudoun  and  (Jen- 

Canada. 

cr.il  Abercrombie.  Thus  I''rance  scored  the  first  ad- 
vantage, in  setting  skilled  captains  to  confront  the  feeble  leaders 
of  her  foe.  Montcalm,  full  of  energ\'  and  resource,  lost  no  time. 
He  captured  and  destroyeil  Oswego,  taking  fourteen  hundred 
prisoners  and  an  inmiense  (|uantity  of  stores.  This  was  an  im- 
portant success,  for  Oswego  was  the  base  from  which  the  English 
were  about  to  attack  Niagara.  The  west  was  thus  made  secure. 
Then  the  tireless  commander  ascended  Lake  Champlain,  and 
took  up  his  position  at  Ticonderoga,  a  few  miles  beyond  ("rown 
I'oint.  Here,  on  the  thoroughfare  between  Lake  Champlain  and 
Lake  (ieorge,  he  entrenched  himself  securely.  The  position, 
naturally  strong,  his  engineers  made  all  but  im])regnable.  by 
this  move  he  closed  and  barred  the  inland  gates  of  Canada. 

Meanwhile  the  Earl  of  Loudoun  did  nothing  but  hold  councils 
Loudoun  at  '^i^<^l  re\  lews.  In  the  following  year  he  sailecl  for 
Halifax.  Halifax,  with  fourteen  ships  of  war  and  the  greater 

portion  of  his  trooi)s.     His  purpose  was  an  attack  on  Louisburg. 


1  Loui.s  de  St.  \'ornn,  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  at  that  tini(;  44  years  of  a;;e.  H'- 
had  distiiigiii.shcd  himsell  in  Italy  and  in  Holiemia,  and  had  won  his  promotion  by 
his  valour.     Ih;  was  born  at  Candiac,  in  the  south  of  b'ranco,  in  1712. 


•I   '.t 


AfASSACKK  AT  l-OhT   WILUaM  llENRW 


U9 


He  spent  the  summer  in  idly  threatening  that  stronghold,  in  drill- 
ing his  already  weH-drilU'd  men,  :ind  in  growing  garden  stufi'  to 
keep  the  soldier's  blood  m  good  condition.  Men  said  that  ho 
would  carr)  on  the  campaign  witli  cabbages  for  cannon  i)alls.  At 
lengtli  he  heanl  that  l.oiiisburg  had  been  strongly  reinf(ir<-ed, 
ami  that  twenty-two  I'rench  ships  of  the  line  were  lying  tinder  its 
guns.  In  discomfiliiri  he  sailed  back  to  New  York.  Admiral 
Holborne,  however,  who  commanded  tlie  I''nglish  tied,  was  of 
better  mettle.  \\c  cruised  to  and  fro  before  the  harbour  of  Louis- 
burg,  trying  to  tempt  the  i''rench  ships  out  to  battle;  till  at  last 
a  siorm  arose  and  sv)  shuttered  his  fleet  that  he  had  to  sail  away 
for  repairs. 

Meanwhile  Montcalm,  seeing  Loudoun's  mistake  in  carrying  his 
trotjps  off  to  Halifax,  came  out  t)f  his  lines  at  Ticonderoga,  moved 

down  Lake  George,  and  with  six  thousand  men  laid 

"  The  massacre 

siege    to    Fort    William    Henry.     The    fort  was  well  aiFortwii 

liam  Henry, 
built,  and  garrisoned  by  two  thousand  two  hundred 

UK  n  under  a  brave  Scotch  soldier.  Colonel  Munro.  Fourteen 
miles  away,  at  Fort  Fdward,  lay  (}eneral  ^\'ebb,  with  a  force  of 
thirty-six  hundred.  Montcalm,  remembering  the  fate  of  Dieskau, 
attempted  no  assault ;  but  before  settling  down  to  a  regular  siege 
he  asked  the  fort  to  surrender,  saying  that  his  victory  was  sure, 
but  that  if  there  was  stubborn  resistance  he  feared  he  might  be 
unable  to  check  the  ferocity  of  his  Indians,  who  made  up  a  third 
of  his  force.  Munro  answered  that  he  would  defend  his  post  to 
the  end  ;  and  his  guns  opened  fire.  Soon  the  French  field-pieces 
were  in  position,  and  under  their  battering  the  wooden  ramparts 
of  the  fort  flew  rapidly  to  splinters.  Munro  had  sent  urgent 
petition  to  Webb  for  reinforcements,  but  that  officer  declared  that 
he  could  not  spare  a  man.  As  the  position  of  Fort  William  Henry 
grew  more  and  more  desperate,  Munro  repeated  his  appeal  with 
vehemence.  Three  thousand  six  hundred  men  were  lying  idle  at 
Fort  Edward,  Had  this  force  moved  upon  Montcalm's  rear  while 
the  garrison  assailed  his  front,  the  French  would  have  found  them- 
selves in  perilous  straits.     But  Webb  was  a  coward.     He  had  no 


^-i 


ij 


•HI 


,:;! 


ri 


140 


//  //IS roj\y  oj-  c.i.VAD.i. 


i  i\ 


heart  to  come  out  from  his  ramj);iil->  whiU*  Indian  scalping-knivcs 
were  in  the  field.  At  last,  his  fort  in  ruins,  and  a  general  assault 
with  all  its  horrors  impeufling,  Munro  capitulated.  Montcahn 
allowed  the  garrison  to  uiareh  out  with  the  honours  of  war,  and 
pledged  himself  to  protect  tlu-m  from  the  Indians.  Hut  now  fol- 
lowed a  dt:i'A  that  brought  dishonour  on  the  I'rench  arms  ;  for 
Montcalm  had  promised  more  than  he  could  perform.  The 
Indians  were  in  an  ugly  mood,  berause  the  fort  had  yielded  scant 
plunder.  .\s  the  Iwigiish  troops,  with  all  tlieir  women  and  chil- 
dren, were  filing  through  the  woods  to  Fort  I-ldward,  the  .savages 
burst  ui)on  them.  The  mm  were  helpless,  having  given  up  their 
arms  to  the  victors.  Women  were  snatched  out  of  the  ranks  and 
scalped  Children  were  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  trees.  The 
heads  of  men  were  split  open  with  hatchets.  .\  hideous  clamour 
arose  of  shrieks  and  oaths  and  yells.  'I'he  wilderness  became  a 
reeking  shambles.  Heside  himself  with  shame,  Montcalm  ran 
hither  and  thither  sword  in  hand,  and  strove  to  check  the  slaugh- 
ter. He  threatened  ;  he  implored  ;  and  several  of  his  oHicers, 
passionately  seconding  his  efforts,  were  wounded  in  the  struggle 
with  their  butchering  allies.  But  every  French  bayonet  should 
have  been  ordered  to  the  charge  ere  the  stain  of  such  a  treachery 
was  allowed  to  rest  on  Montcabvi's  honour  To  him  had  the  fort 
surrendered,  and  he  was  responsible  for  the  prisoners.  When  t 
last  the  butchery  was  stopped  the  savages  made  off,  in  fear  lest 
their  captives  and  their  plunder  should  be  taken  from  theui. 
Fort  William  Henry  was  then  levelled  to  the  ground.  The  spirit 
of  Canada,  by  this  victory,  was  braced  anew  for  the  great  struggle 
in  which  she  was  now  finally  locked  ;  but  Montcalm's  heart  wn-- 
heavy  for  the  shame  which  his  allies  had  put  upon  him. 

48.  The  Combatants  compared.  Louisburg  once  more. — .\t 
this  hour  of  exultation  for  France,  of  gloom  for  England,  there 
Pitt  comes  came  a  sudden  change.  The  incompetent  Newcastle 
into  power.  ministry  was  cast  down,  and  the  "  Great  Commoner," 
William  Pitt,  was  called  to  power.  His  dauntless  will  and  swiit 
energy  made  themselves  felt  in  every  fuilse  of  the  empire,  and 


I 


jhKEXC/r  AND   ENGUHII  COLONIES   COMPARED.       141 


Knglish  hearth  revived  ;  while  in  Canada  the  sagacious  eyes  uf 
Montcalm  watciied  anxiously  to  mark  in  what  direction  the  new 
firr  of  his  adversaries  would  strike. 

[he  end  of  the  t;real  duel  for  colonial  eminre  was  now  close  at 
hai\d.  The  laiglish  colonies  were  far  richer  and  ten  times  more 
populous  than  Canada.  In  more  or  less  cc^mpact  The  French 
settlements  they  could  boast  a  population  of  about  colonies  co'n- 
ono  million  tliree  hundred  thousand  souls  ;  while  Can-  *'*'''■''' 
ada  had  scanx'ly  more  than  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  imd  these 
trailed  thinly  along  the  St.  Lawrence,  with  denser  clusters  at  Que- 
bec, Monueal,  and  Three  Rivers.  Her  vast  western  territory  was 
litld  only  by  a  frail  chain  of  forts,  the  cai)ture  of  ahiiost  any  one 
of  which  would  put  an  end  to  her  connection  with  I.iKiisiana.  Her 
inhabitants  were  in)()overished,  ground  helplessly  beneath  the  ra- 
])acious  hands  of  liigot  and  his  crew  ;  while  the  I'nglish  colonists, 
lightly  taxetl  ar.d  cheaply  governed,  were  rapidly  growing  in 
wealth.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Knglish  colonies  were  unwieldy 
in  war,  because  of  their  unwillingness  to  act  together,  their  extreme 
economy  in  military  expenditure,  antl  their  jealousy  of  ea.  h  other 
as  well  as  of  tlic  home  government.  'I'he  Canadians  were  under  one 
control.  The  itabihin^  were  all  bound  in  military  service  to  their 
seij;neurs,  and  the  seigneurs  to  the  King.  Thus  the  commands  r- 
in-chief,  as  the  King's  inilitavy  representative,  could  wield  the 
whole  body  as  one  man.  And  this  whole  body  was  inured  to  war. 
Canada  was  like  a  bright,  light  wea])on,  ready  drawn,  au'l  bran- 
dished in  all  directions  ;  while  the  I-'^nglish  colonies  were  like  a 
huge  blade,  strong  and  terrible  imleed,  but  hard  to  wield  and 
rusted  in  the  sheath. 

.\s  the  struggle  was  not,  at  the  last,  decided  wholly  by  the 
sword,  a  word  is  needed  here  to  show  how  the  military  genius 
and  tried  valour  of  men  like  Montcalm  and  his  lieu-  Bigot's  cor- 
tenants  were  made  vain  by  civil  rottenness  at  the  heart  "*p^>°° 
of  Canada.  The  civil  affairs  of  the  colony  were  in  the  hands  of  a 
creature  of  the  King's  mistresses,  the  l)riniant  and  inf^imous  Bigot. 
As  intendant,  he  held  the  purse-strings.     Otiticcs  of  profit  under 


mpBHBMHHM^ 


142 


//   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


!f^ 


I » I 


his  authority  he  filled  with  such  men  as  would  follow  his  examj^le 
and  act  as  his  tools.  The  old  seigneurial  families,  unai)Ie  to  stem 
the  tide  of  corruptii-'^,  for  the  most  part  held  aloof  on  tiieir 
estates ;  though  a  few  yielded  to  the  baaeful  exain|)lc.  Tht 
masses  suffered  in  heljiless  silence.  Montcah.i,  the  nalitary  chief, 
had  small  means  of  knowing  the  real  .>!.ati-  of  afjairs,  and  still  less 
means  of  interfering  had  he  known.  'I'he  governor  alone,  V'au- 
dreuil,  might  have  changed  it ;  but  he  was  eitl  cr  blinded  by 
Bigot's  cleverness  or  in  sympathy  with  his  crimes.  Either  directly 
or  through  his  confederates,  of  whom  the  most  notorious  was  a 
contractor  named  Cadet,  Bigot's  thieveries  rose  to  a  colossal 
figure.  The  King  ^  millions  sent  out  for  war,  the  people's  millions 
squeezed  from  them  in  crushing  taxes,  alike  found  their  way  into 
these  rapacious  pockets.  The  enemies  of  New  Fr.mce  within  the 
walls  were  as  deadly  as  those  without.  As  outside  perils  thickened, 
Bigot's  thefts  grew  more  daring.  F'orts  fell  like  ripe  fruit  into  the 
hands  of  the  l^nglish,  l)ecause  they  were  commanded  by  weak 
favourites  cif  the  intendant,  or  because  the  intendant  had  kept 
the  money  which  should  have  supplied  them  with  arms  and  IckkI. 
Brave  soldiers  were  left  half-starved,  half-clothed,  half-armed,  that 
Bigot  and  his  followers  might  revel  in  profligate  excess.  It  is 
claimed  that  in  two  years  alone,  1757  and  1758,  the  intendant 
cheated  his  King  and  country  out  of  nearly  Jive  million  dollars,  k 
few  years  later,  when  New  France  had  passed  into  English  hands 
and  the  flag  of  the  lilies  had  been  lowered  on  all  her  strongholds, 
Bigot  was  thrown  into  the  Bastille.  Being  brought  to  trial  and 
condemned,  he  was  banished  from  France  for  life,  his  estates 
were  confiscated,  and  a  crushing  fine  was  laid  upon  him.  His 
confederates,  in  varying  degrees,  received  like  punishment. 

'lb  return  to  the  conflict.  The  first  blow  of  Pitt's  heavy  hand 
fell  on  Louislmrg.  To  reduce  this  dreaded  stronghold  he  ^ent 
out  a  force  under  (icneral  Amherst,'  with  James  Wolfe  as  second 


1  Afterwards  made  Lord  Amherst.  He  was  a  brave  and  experienced  coin 
mander,  :;killul  bui  slow.  He  did  good  service  in  this  eainp-iijjn,  Ijut  has  bctn 
thrown  into  eclipse  i)y  the  brilliancy  of  Wolfe's  achievements. 


WOl.I-E   A.\D   MOXTCAiyf. 


M3 


in  commarKl.  Tliou^di  but  thirty-two  years  old,  and  of  delicate 
health,  Wolfe  had  won  distinction  for  sagacitv  and  1",  ry  courage 
on  the  battlefiekis  of  Europe.  He  was  chosen  over  the  heads 
of  many  seniors,  because  in  the  ardent  young  soldier  characteiis- 
Piti's  keen  eye  had  discerned  the  qualities  dear  to  his  "nd  Mont*-'^" 
own  heart  and  necessary  to  the  execution  of  'lis  daring  '^^''" 
purpose.  Wolfe  was  loved  by  his  followers  .  ,id  his  fellows,  trusted 
im|)licitly  by  his  superiors.  In  a  warlike  generation  his  bravery 
was  conspicuous.  His  character  was  a  rare  combination  of  wis- 
dom, manhood,  gentleness,  though  marred  slightly  by  an  irritable 
temper.  It  is  a  somewhat  strange  coincidence  that  his  great 
opponent  should  have  been  a  man  distingmshed  by  like  qualities. 
In  appearance  the  noble  antagonists  were  most  unlike.  Mont- 
calm, with  erect,  strcmg,  soldierly  figure,  S([uare,  re.solute  face,  full 
forehead  and  dominant  chin,  looked  his  part.  Of  Wolfe's  face 
the  most  prominent  featute  was  the  somewhat  tilted  nose,  from 
which  forehead  and  chin  receded  sharply.  His  upper  lip  was 
long  and  full,  so  that  tlie  lower  part  of  his  mouth  looked  weak  by 
contrast.  His  chest  was  narrow;  his  frail  limbs  were  ill-fitted  for 
wailike  exercise  ;  his  long,  red  hair  was  gathered  in  a  queue.  But 
in  his  eyes,  masterful  and  penetrating,  burned  the  light  of  his 
indomitable  spirit.' 

With  the  army  under  Ai/herst  and  Wolfe  went  a  strong  fleet 
led  by  .Aclminal  .Hus(.a'.'en.  Early  in  June.  1758,  the  whole  force 
reached  Cabarus  lia) .  Louisburg,  since  iis  capture 
1>y  I'epperell  thirteen  years  before,  \\\A  been  v.istlv 
strengtliened,  especially  on  that  landward  side  wlurc  it  had 
proved  vulnerable.  Whhin  its  mighty  ramparts  duek  and  traded 
a  population  of  aliout  fo\u-  tiiousand  souls.  Its  omniandant  was  a 
brave  and  pru'1t:nl  oflicer,  the  Chevalier  de  Drucour.  lis  garrison 
consisted  of  three  thousand  regular  troops,  veterans  of  l^iropein 


Louisburg. 


''  Wolfi;  wns  the  sun  of  an  Knglisli  iMTicer.  He  liati  \jt;pn  in  lli"  :irmy  fioni 
tli«  age  of  fifteen.  Aduitant  of  his  re^finn-nt  at  sixteen,  he  was  licutennni  c'f)ionel 
;it  lwenty-t!in.M\  ihront'li  hi'-,  own  nvrii;.  He  liad  served  vvitli  high  distinction  .it 
Di-'iingen,  Ciilloden,  and  other  famous  battles. 


Ttl      I  HBP 


144 


.•/    HISTORY    OF   C.LV.t /}.■{. 


,  1 

i 

t 

} 
i 

i 

i 

wars,  besides  a  l)0(ly  of  armed  citizens.  Uivier  the  heavy  bastions 
of  the  water-front  rode  at  anrlior  twelve  war-ships,  carrying  about 
three  thousand  men  and  five  hundred  and  forty-four  guns.  The 
batteries  of  the  fortress  mounted  in  nil  two  hundred  and  nineteen 
heavy  cannon  and  seventeen  mortars. 

It  is  a  high  tribute  to  Pepperell's  judgment  that  his  ])lan  of 
attack  was  followed  by  the  experienced  Amlierst.  Hut  Amherst's 
The  second  landing,  on  the  shore  of  Ciabinis  V>av,  was  a  more  dif- 
siege.  ficult  task  tlian  Pepperell  had  1  )niid  it.      It  w;i^  done 

through  a  heavy  surf,  and  in  the  lace  of  an  enemy  well  pre])are(l 
to  repulse  it.  Wolfe,  armed  only  with  a  cane,  led  the  movement. 
The  flglit  was  deadly  fierce,  but  l)rief.  Boats  were  shattered  on 
the  rocks,  or  swami)ed  l)y  cannon  shot,  but  the  red-coatetl  assail- 
ants would  not  be  checked  They  swarmed  ashore  with  ciieers. 
A  battery  was  captured  ;  and  tlie  French  at  lengtli  were  routed 
with  heavy  loss.  I'he  l-mglish  gave  chase  through  the  thickets  of 
young  fir-trees  till  they  i  ame  out  u]>on  the  morass,  in  full  view  of 
the  great  ramparts.  'I'hen  the  cannon  thundered  against  them 
and  drove  them  back.  Meanwhile  the  whole  force  had  made  a 
landing.  The  result  of  this  success  was  a  prompt  abandonment 
of  the  Grand  Battery,  as  well  as  the  battery  on  Lighthon-e  l^oint, 
which  were  thus  outtlanked.  They  were  at  once  occupied  by  the 
English  and  their  fire  turned  against  the  Island  Ilattery.  Night 
and  day  this  duel  of  giants  was  kept  up,  the  heavy  guns  roaring 
defiance  back  and  forth  across  the  harbour.  Steadily  and  cpuetly 
the  invaders,  burrowing  like  moles,  ran  their  zigz;ig  trenches  closer 
to  the  walls,  planting  their  batteries  nearer  and  nearer,  hurling 
back  the  fierv  sorties  of  the  garrison,  and  holding  like  bulldogs  •  ■ 
every  advantage  gained.  Soon  the  Island  Battery  was  silencei;. 
and  the  gate  of  the  harbour  lay  open  to  the  F^nglish  fleet.  But 
Drticour  sank  four  large  ships  in  the  jaws  of  the  passage,  barrinjt 
it  anew.  His  other  ships  were  set  on  fire  by  shells  and  burned, 
except  one  which  was  daringly  cut  out  by  a  party  of  English 
sailors.     The  position  of  the  garrison  grew  desperate. 

In  the  intervals  of  the  cannonade,   however,   nice  coiirtcsies 


FINAL     -^APTCRE    OF  I OUISBVRG. 


145 


were  exchanged  between  the  n-'al  leaders.     Amherst  ordered  his 

gunners  to  spare  as  far  as  possil>le  the  houses  of  the  town.     Dru- 

cour  sent  word  to  Amherst  under  a  Hag  of  tniee  that  he  liad  a 

wonderfully  skilful  surgeon,  whose  services  were  at  the  disposal  of 

wounded  Fjiglish  officers.     Amherst  took  pains  to  send  in  reports 

and  messages  from  his  wounded  captives;  and  to  Madame  l)ru- 

cour  he  sent  a  basket  of  pineapples  with  many  regrets  for  the  dis- 

( omforts  which  he  was  causing  her.     Madame  Drucour,  not  to  be 

outdone,  presented  her  foe  with  a  hamper  of  fine  French  wines. 

For  all  these  courtesies  the  light  was  no  less  fierce.     At  last, 

with  his  ranijjarts  breached,  his  best  guns  silenced,  and  nearly  half 

his  gar-son  killed  or  wounded,  to  save  the  town  from  the  horrors 

of  assault  Drucour  made  unconditional  surrender.     He  had  gained 

the  glory  of  a  heroic  defence.     He  hail  held  out  so  long  that,  as 

b'^  purposed,  there  was  ro  time  that  year  for  Amherst 

'       '  '  ■  The  final 

H'     :rike  another  blow  at  Canada.     '1  he  brave  de-    iau  of  Louis- 
burg, 
fenders  of  Louisburg  were  sent  to   I\ngldnd  as  pris- 
oners of  war.     With  the  fall  of  the  stronghol'.'  all  Cape  Breton, 
and  also  the  island  of  St.  John  in  the  Culf  (now  Prince  Edward 
Island),  passed  under  the  luiglish  flag.     For  nionths  went  on  the 
toil  of  demolishing  the  mighty  fortifications,  —  blowing  up  case- 
mates, filling  in  ditches,  shattering  the  walls  of  stone  with  pick  and 
crowbar,  — till  Louisl)urg  was  no  more.     But  the  vast  lines  of  the 
earthworks  are  still  to  be  traced,  covered  with  a  mantle  of  green 
turf;  and  the  bells  of  pasturing  sheep  tinkle  softly  over  the  tomb 
of  the  vanished  fortress. 

49.  Ticonderoga.  —  But  whih^  the  French  were  suffering  this 
deadly  stroke  at  Louisburg,  they  triumphed  on  Lake  Champlain. 
Not  yet  had  the  chief  antagonists  come  face  to  face.  While 
Wolfe  was  serving  Amherst  at  Louisburg,  Montcalm  lay  in  tlie 
lines  of  Ticonderoga.  At  the  other  end  of  Lake  ( leorge,  preparing 
to  march  against  him,  was  encamped  Cieneral  .Xbercroinbie  with 
fifteen  thousand  men.  Montcalm's  position  was  one  of  matchless 
strength.  The  fort  itself  stood  on  a  rocky  height  overlooking  the 
head  oi  J,ake  Champlain.     Behind  it  ran  a  rough  valley  ;  and  the 


M 


146 


A   NI STORY   OF  CANADA. 


crest  of  the  ridge  beyond  was  fortified  by  a  high  and  zigzag  breast- 

woric,  built  of  trunks  of  trees  with  sharpened  branches  pointing 

outwards  liiie  the  spines  of  some  colossal  porcupine.     The  sloping 

approach  to  this  breastwork  was  set  thick  with  sharn- 
Montcalm's         '  '  .        .  ' 

victory  at        ened  Stakes  and  felled  trees,  making  it  ahnost  impas- 

Ticonderoga.  ,,,,,•,,  ,•  ,      , 

sable,  liehmd  these  hues  were  only  between  three 
and  four  thousand  men.  to  oppose  the  fifteen  diousand  of  Aber- 
crombie.  lUit  they  wtMe  led  l)y  Montcalm,  with  de  Lt^-vis  and  de 
Bougainville  to  supjiO/t  hiui.  Abercrombie  was  a  man  of  slight 
capacity  ant.!  waverin.i;  '\ill,  who  owed  his  high  position  not  to 
merit  l)ut  io  favour,  ho  strong  were  his  friends  that  even  I'iii, 
who  saw  his  weakness,  had  not  cared  to  remove  him  from  com 
mand.  The  wary  statesman  had  contented  himself  with  appoint- 
ing as  Abcrcrombie's  second  in  command  one  who  roiglu  be 
expected  in  a  measure  to  m.ike  up  for  his  chief's  deficiencies. 
This  was  the  young  I.ord  H.)v/^ ,  an  officer  of  radiant  promise. 
Howe  was  the  very  life  of  the  jrmy.  Adored  alike  by  the  regu- 
lars and  tlie  militia,  he  was  rigid  in  disc)f)line,  ready  in  resource, 
disc  reet,  yet  boundlessly  audacious  in  the  hour  of  need.  Had  he 
lived,  the  story  of  Ticonderoga  might  have  been  far  different. 
Hut  in  a  chance  skirmi.sh  on  the  way  to  the  battlefield  a  bullet 
struck  him  down  :  and  from  that  moment  the  whole  army  was  in 
confusion.  Abercron"iV)if;  made  no  attempt  to  outflank  Montcalm's 
position,  or  to  cut  oH"  his  sijiplies  by  occupying  the  lake  shores 
beyond.  During  a  whole,  long,  dreadfid  day  he  hurled  his  dogged 
soldiery  against  that  impregnable  i^/<n-i.\',  wheiein  they  were  mown 
down  like  grass  hy  the  close  fire  of  the  hidden  defenders.  Aaiong 
the  l".ngli.->h  were  a  regiment  of  Highlanders,  who  fought  like 
tigers,  hacking  at  the  stakes  with  their  claymores  to  reach  the  barri- 
cade. Regul-.irs  and  militia  outdid  each  other  in  feats  of  stubborn 
flaring,  of  whii  h  the  French  spoke  afterwards  with  wond  'ing 
praise.  But  aie  splenrlid  sacrifice  was  all  in  vain.  Abercroin  e 
might  as  well  have  taken  his  troops  and  hurled  them  into  tne 
lake.  When  night  fell  two  thousand  English  tlead  lay  annd  the 
sharp  branches  of  the  i^^/ads.     Of  the  J'rench  there  had  fallen  hut 


<gi^mmMi&m3p=^ 


NEiv  1-KAXfi:  err  in  tivo. 


147 


Bradstreet 
captures  Fort 
Frontenac, 
cutting  New 


llirec  hundred.  They  luid  niiide  a  glorious  defence.  Abercrombie, 
with  fainting  heart,  fell  buck  upon  Fort  William  Henry.  He  was 
presently  relieved  of  his  command. 

The  joy  in  Canada  over  this  victory  was  soon  damped  by  news 
of  disaster.  While  Abercrombie  lay  trembling  Tt  lort  William 
Henry,  cursed  by  all  his  men,  lOradstreet  with  a  budv 
of  colonial  militia  had  crossed  Lake  Ontario  in  whale- 
boats  and  r.iptured  Fort  Frontenac.  W  iili  the  fort  he 
took  rich  stores,  and  all  the  French  ships  that  sailed  f^^^"^'''"' 
the  lake.  This  success  cut  Canada  in  two.  Fort  Hu- 
([uesne,  severed  from  its  source  of  supplies,  forsaken  by  the  fickle 
tribes  who  had  aided  in  tlie  overthrow  of  Kraddock,  and  hotly 
attacked  by  a  force  under  C.eneral  P'okL)es,  was  abandoneil  in 
November  (1-758).  I'he  retreating  garrison  blew  up  their  fortifi- 
cations. Near  the  same  sit"  the  Knglish  now  raised  a  new  strong- 
hold with  a  name  of  good  omen.  They  called  it  F'on  Pitt ;  and 
to  the  cluster  of  traders'  cabins  that  gathered  about  it  was  given 
the  name  of  Pittsburg. 

During  this  same  year,  while  forts  were  falling  and  battles  rag- 
ing east  and  west,  an  event  took  place  wliich  was  full  of  ])eaceful 
significance.     The  first  legislative  assembly  ever  held   r.ocisiative 
in  what  now   forms  Canada  was    -ailed   together  at   hew'atHaii- 
Halifax.     The  pioneers  who  had   built   die  city  had   ^^*- 
come  out,  as  we  have  seen,  under  ])romise  of  free  representative 
institutions.     Now  this  promise  found  its  first  measure  of  tulfil- 
ment.      The  people  of  Nova  S<  otia       '-e  called   ujion   to   elect 
such  men  as  they  desired  to  re])resen,         m  and  to  legislate  for 
them.     But  almost  all  the  real  power  \\         e|n  in  the  hands  of 
the  governor  and  other  crown  otfiriais.     To  make  these  represen- 
tative institutions  really  free  cost  2.   .:entury  of  ceaseless  struggle, 
destined  soon  to  begin  and  to  colour  a  whole  period  in  our  story. 

50.  The  Beginning  of  the  End.  —  lioth  sides  now  seemed  to 
realize  that  the  death-grajiple  was  fairly  begun.  A  gloom  hung 
over  Canada.  In  the  west  she  had  lost  the  Lake  countrj.  and 
some  of  her  strongest  allies  among  the  Indians.     In  the  centre, 


mr 


Ml 


(       ; 


'     If    I 


148 


A   I/rSTORV   OF  CANADA. 


where  Montcalm  was,  she  had  superbly  held  her  own.  But  in 
the  east  her  case  looked  ruinous  enough.  Her  world  femons 
stronghold  of  Louisburg  snatched  from  her,  she  had  been   \io- 

lently  hurled  back  ui)on  the  St.  Lawrence.  At  iuT 
Montcalm  on  -^  '  . 

thedefen-  heart,  meanwhile,  gnawed  ]3igot's  i-reedy  pack,  deal" 
sive.  .  .  '  /     1         » 

to  every  appeal  in  this  supreme  hour  of  their  couuiry's 

peril.  To  France  the  tottering  colony  cried  for  aid  ;  but  France 
was  hard  pressed  in  Europe.  She  could  si>are  no  more  regiments 
for  Canada,  no  more  gold  for  Bigot's  pockets.  Montcalm  was 
told  to  stand  on  the  defensive  and  wait  for  fortune  to    hange. 

Between  Montcalm  and  the  governor-general,  tlu-  vain  and 
jealous  Vaudreuil,  there  wa.i  sharp  antagonism  _,  but  they  acted 
together  in  this  crisis.  Vaudreuil  called  out  all  the  remaining 
militia  reserves,  and  concentrated  them  about  (Quebec,  where 
Montcalm  now  made  his  headquarters.  To  the  defence  of 
Niagara  were  called  in  the  garrisons  of  the  remaining  western 
forts,  from  Detroit  to  Venango,  together  vvitji  the  ncath-vvest- 
ern  tribes  who  dwelt  about  Michilimac:kinac.  To  Bourlamaque, 
one  of  Montcalm's  bravest  lieutenants,  was  set  the  hard  task  of 
holding  Lake  Champiain  and  the  Richelieu  against  the  Fnglish 
advance  on  Montreal. 

In  the  spring  of  1759  t'^*-"  Fngiish  optnied  the  campaign,  'i'heir 
plan  was  a  sweeping  one.  General  Prideaux  and  Sir  William  John- 
son were  sent  against  Niagara.    Amherst,  in  th?  centre, 

The  English  00  >  > 

plan  of  cam-  was  to  force  the  inland  gateway,  descend  the  Richelieu. 
jpaign. 

and  capture  Montreal.  Then  he  and  the  Niagara  ex- 
pedition were  to  unite,  come  down  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  help 
Wolfe  take  Quebec,  iiefore  turnicig  our  eyes  upon  Wolfe's  ,<.::gantic 
task,  let  us  see  how  the  ventures  of  I'rideaux  and  Amhersi  lared. 

The  expedition  against  Niagara  arrived  before  the  reinforce- 
ments which  were  to  succour  the  doomed  post.  The  ti^rt  was 
Fan  of  Fort  regularly  besieged;  and  its  defences  soon  gave  way 
Niagara.  before  the  English  guns,      Prideaux  was  killed,   imi 

Johnson  took  command.  Presently  came  the  French  reinforce- 
ments.     Johnson  fiiced  them  with  a  portion  of  his  force,  struck 


■*I«NM 


AMHERST   ON  LAKE    CHAM  PLAIN. 


149 


them  heavily,  and  drove  them  back  in  fragments.  Thus  deprived 
of  its  last  hope,  the  garrison  at  once  laid  down  its  ai  .  Uroken 
was  the  last  hold  of  France  on  the  great  west. 

In  the  centre  .'\mherst  cautiously  i)ushed  his  way  down  Lake 
George.  When  he  drew  near,  P>ourlama(]ue  blew  up  the  dreaded 
walls  of  Ticonderoga  and  fell  back  upon  Crown  Point.  Thence 
he  again  retired  to  a  much  stronger  and  more  strategically  im- 
portant position  on  Isle  aux  Noix,  at  the  narrow  outlet  of  Lake 
Chaniplain.  Here  lio  gathered  all  his  forces  to  rake  a  final 
stand.  He  held  control  of  the  lake  by  means  of  four  well- 
armed  sloops.  In  the  face  of  their  gtms  it  was  impo^sible  for 
Amherst  to  advance  in  his  open  boats ;  so  he  spent  Bouriamaquc 
the  summer  in  IniiUling  vessels  to  cope  with  those  of  herst'o-^^Lake 
the  French.  W'lien  this  was  done  the  weather  turned  ChampUin. 
stormy,  so  he  concluded  to  winter  at  ("rown  Point.  He  was  a 
brave  leader,  but  in  his  own  deliberate  wa}  ;  too  painfully  method- 
ical for  an  enterprise  like  this,  which  called  for  dash  and  risks. 
At  a'l  costs  he  should  have  forced  his  way  forward  and  created 
a  diversion  in  Wolfe's  favour.  But  he  preferred  to  build  forts 
and  secure  his  advance  by  strictly  regular  process.  Bourla- 
maque  at  Isle  aux  Noix  and  Montcalm  at  Quebec  were  gratified 
by  his  forbearance,  but  lilUc  impressed  by  his  brilliancy. 


M  * 


i! 


Ill 


CHAPTER   XI. 

SECTIONS  :  —  51,  Woi.fk  axd  Montcalm  Fack  to  FAcr:.   52,  tiii. 
Plains  ok  Aukaham.     53,  Ouehix  in  Exgllsh  Hands. 

51.    Wolfe  and  Montcalm  Face  to  Face.  —  To  defend  Quebec, 

to  make  his  last  stand  for  France  in  C Canada,  Montcalm  had  about 

^^  .  c  fifteen  thousand  regulars  and  Canadian  militia,  with 
The  forces  of  °  ' 

Montcalm  perhaps  a  thousand  Indians.  The  recnlars  were  his 
and  Wolfe.        *  "^  r      ,       1      ■       , 

only  reliance  for  battle  in  the  open  ;  while  in  bush- 
fighting,  on  the  other  hand,  one  Canadian  was  considered  cqu;il 
to  three  regulars.  All  the  troops  alike  were  good  behind  en- 
trenchments ;  wherefore  Montcalm  resolved  to  take  the  defensive^ 
and  force  his  foe  to  break  himself  to  pieces  on  his  lines.  He 
would  make  Quebec  another  Ticonderoga.  To  bring  against 
the  sixteen  thousand  detenders  of  his  almost  impregnable  posi- 
tion, Wolfe  had  but  nine  thousand  men ;  but  these  were  all  tried 
stuff,  adapted  to  any  service. 

Leaving  a  garrison  of  two  thousand  in  the  city  itself,  under  de 
Ramesay,  Montcalm  ranged  his  army  along  the  shore  from  the 
city  walls  to  the  Montmorenci  River  eight  miles  below.  Tiie 
mouth  of  the  St.  Charles  was  closed  with  a  massive  booin  of 

chained  timbers,  and  both  its  banks  were  covered  by 
Montcalm's 

plan  of  de-  heavy  batteries.  A  little  higher  up,  the  river  was 
fence.  •'    ,    ,  ,    .  ,  ^  ,         ^  ^  '         , 

crossed  by  a  bridge  of  boats,  forming  the  avenue  of 

communication  between  camp  and  city.  From  the  St.  Charles 
down  to  the  little  Beauport  stream,  the  bank  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence consists  of  low  meadow-land,  with  wide  .shoals  spreading 
before  it.     At  the  mouth  of  the  Beauport  stream  was  anchored 

>5o 


i  i!  f 


tf    ?     i 


WOLFE   DIU'ORE    QUEBEC. 


151 


a  floating  battery.  From  this  point  clown  to  the  Montmorenci 
the  shore  is  a  steep  and  roc  ley  ridge,  with  a  narrow  skirt  of 
llats  along  its  l\ise.  The  whole  front  of  the  l>ench  position 
was  faced  with  taithworks,  crossing  the  Beauport  meadows,  and 
crowning  the  crest  of  the  ridge.  On  the  flats  between  ridge  and 
water,  niso,  were  built  advance  works,  strong  in  n;i)elling  attack, 
hai  useless  to  the  enemy  if  captured,  because  open  to  the  fire 
from  the  ridge  above.  The  floating  battery  at  the  Beauport  mouth 
carried  twelve  heavy  guns.  The  colossal  walls  of  the  city  itself 
mor.nted  one  hundred  and  six  cannon,  under  whose  muzzles,  at 
the  edge  of  the  Lower  Town,  clung  a  fleet  of  gunboats  and  fire- 
ships.  The  most  important  ships  of  the  French  fleet  had  been 
sent  for  safety  far  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  that  their  crews  might  be 
used  in  the  defence.  For  eight  miles  above  the  city,  to  the  strong 
defences  of  Cap  Rouge,  the  north  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  was  a 
precipice  200  feet  in  height,  impassable  except  at  a  few  points, 
and  even  at  these  passes  so  difficult  that  a  handful  of  resolute 
men  could  hold  them  against  an  army.  On  this  side  no  attack 
was  dreaded,  yet  it  was  watched  with  vigilance  by  a  force  under 
Bougainville. 

Wolfe's  army,  as  we  have  seen,  consisted  of  about  nine  thousand 
picked  troojs.     Under  him  were  three  energetic  and  courageous 
tirigade-generals,  Monckton  (the  conqueror  of  Beaust^jour),  Town- 
shend,  and  Murray.     There  was  also  a  strong  fleet 

under  Admiral  Saunders  to  cooperate  in  the  enterprise,   occupies  lie 

d' Orleans. 
Toward  the  end  of  June  the  throng  of  battle-ships, 

frigates,  and  transports  arrived  safely  under  the  green  and  peopled 

shores  of  lie  d'Orl^ans.     Here  Wolfe  disembarked  his  army,  led  a 

strong  force  up  the  island,  and  entrenched  himself  on  the  extreme 

western  point,  about  four  miles  below  Quebec.     Before  Wolfe's 

eyes  was  now  unfolded  the  magnitude  of  his  task.     On  his  right 

was  the  splendid  white  cataract  of  Montmorenci  leaping  out  of  the 

dark  fir  groves  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge.     Beyond  lay  the  long, 

serried  lines  of  entrenchments,  swarming  \\rith  the  white  uniforms 

of  France.     Then,  the   crowded,  steep  roofs  and  spires  of  the 


\    \ 


H\ 


•U 


152  .;    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 

Lower  Town,  with  the  gunboats  and  fire-ships  on  its  water  front. 
And  then,  soaring  over  ill,  the  majestii.  promontory  of  ('upc 
Diamond;  its  grim  face  seamed  with  batteries,  and  stairs,  and 
climbing  ribbons  of  street  ;  its  summit  crowned  with  jjortentous 
bastions  and  with  the  chivairous  banners  of  France. 

A  few  days  after  Wolfe's  arrival  Vaudreuil  undertO(jk,  nt  tre- 
mendous expense,  to  destroy  the  English  fieet  with  firc->,iiips. 
vaudreuii's  ^^^  great  hulls  were  filled  with  jjitch,  fireworks,  bombs, 
flro-ships.  jjjjj  jjjj  in^^nner  of  old  guns  loaded  to  the  muzzle.  One 
black  night  these  perilous  cr.ift  were  towed  into  the  current  of  the 
north  channel,  at  the  foot  of  which  lay  the  English  tleet  ;it  anchor. 
There  they  were  set  on  fire.  The  roar  and  blaze  were  territk. 
The  red  lines  of  the  English  on  the  island,  the  while  masses 
of  the  f'rench  beiiind  their  earthworks,  were  lurully  revealed. 
Around  each  flaming  shape  rained  a  shower  t)f  death  from  the 
explotimg  engines  within  it ;  but  the  iMiylish  .sailors  swarmed 
out  in  boats,  hooked  the  monsters  with  grappling  irons,  and  towed 
them  close  in  shore,  where  they  stranded  and  roared  themselves 
harmlessly  to  silence. 

The  next  day  Wolfe  seized  the  heights  of  Point  I,(?vi,  opposite 
the  city,  and  began  to  erect  his  batteries.     In  the  villagc-cliurciies 
round  about   l.^vi  he  posted  a  pro(   rmation  asking  tti;   Canadian 
Wolfe  at  haditijtis  to  stand  neutrai.     He  promiseh  them  pro- 

Point  U'vi.  tection  of  life,  property,  and  religion  if  they  did  so, 
but  fire  and  pillage  if  they  refused.  While  the  batteries  on  L^vi 
were  steadily  growing,  in  defianf.e  of  a  ceaseless  hail  of  shells  from 
the  city  ramparts,  a  band  of  fifteen  hundred  Quebec  volunteers, 
crossing  the  river  some  miles  above  the  city,  descended  in  ilie 
night  to  rout  the  foe.  They  set  out  with  martial  zeal.  But  a 
panic  seized  them  ere  tliey  reached  the  hostile  lines.  They  fled 
back  madly  to  their  boats,  and  returned  to  Quebec  to  face  the 
jeers  of  their  fellows. 

Wolfe's  next  move  was  to  effect  a  landing  below  the  Monlmo- 
renci.  This  was  done  after  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  Canadian 
rangers.     Here,  on  the  east  side  of  the  cataract,  Wolfe  fortified 


II 


TIIR   ATTACK   ON  DEAUPOKT  SHORE. 


153 


himself  with  care,  planted  a  battery,  and  opened  a  fire  which 
]jruved  very  {jailing  to  the  French  lines  over  the  stream.  Some 
of  the  French  ofticers  were  eager  to  attack  this  new  wojfeat 
position,  but  iMontcalm's  judicious  policy  forbade.  Montmorend. 
•'  Let  him  amuse  himself  where  he  is,"  said  Montcalm.  "  If  we 
drive  him  away  from  there,  he  may  go  to  some  place  where  he 
can  do  us  more  harm." 

Wolfe's  position  was  now  dangerous,  for  his  command  was  cut 
into  three  parts,  either  of  which  might  be  attacked  in  force  before 
the  others  could  come  to  its  ilefence.  But  he  longed  to  lure  the 
French  out  of  their  lines,  and  felt  that  the  occasion  was  one  for 
taking  great  risks.  He  knew  that  success  in  this  instance  was 
not  to  be  earned  by  caution  or  reached  by  regular 

..  ,,  ,      .  ,  TheEngh-sh 

paths  ;  but  only,  if  at  all,  by  some  daruig  and  unex-   fleet  goes  up 

the  river. 

pected  stroke.  He  now  still  further  divided  his  forces. 
His  batteries  on  Point  Levi  were  fast  demolishing  the  1/nver 
Town.  Under  cover  of  their  fire  he  ran  a  portion  of  the  fleet  up 
the  river  beneath  the  very  mouths  of  the  citadel's  guns,  and  laid 
them  over  against  Cap  Rouge  to  threaten  llougainville.  This 
division  of  the  fleet  was  commanded  by  Admiral  Holmes.  It  now 
began  to  harass  the  French  sorely  by  drifting  back  and  forth  with 
tlie  tide  over  the  eight  miles  between  Quebec  and  Cap  Rtvage. 
Bougainville  found  himself  compelled  to  follow  laboriously  along 
the  shore  .so  as  always  to  oppose  a  strong  front  against  any  attempt 
at  landing.  Meanwhile  the  summer  was  wearing  away;  and 
though  the  Lower  Town  was  knocked  to  pieces  Quebec  was  not 
weakening.  Supplies  were  still  abundant  in  the  city,  and  the 
wailing  game  played  by  Montcalm  was  driving  Wolfe's  eager  tem- 
per to  desperation.  He  decided  that  if  Montcalm  would  not 
come  out  and  fight  he  must  even  he  attacked  in  his  trenches. 

The  attack  was  made  on  the  extreme  left.  At  low  tide  there 
was  a  ford  across  tlie  month  of  the  Montmurenci.  The  French 
batteries  at  this  point  were  engaged  by  a  heavy  fire  from  the  fleet, 
while  a  body  of  grenadiers,  Royal  Americans,  and  Higlilan'lers 
dashed  shoreward  in  boats.     To  aid  them  came  a  column  from 


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73  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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A   IHSTORY  OF  CANDIDA. 


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Failure  of 
Wolfe's  at- 
tack on  the 
Beauport 
lines. 


the  Montmorenci  redoubt,  fording  the  turbulent  channel,  ami  lul- 
lowing  the  strip  of  wet  Hats  along  below  the  rulgc  Inipatieiu 
after  their  long  restraint,  the  grenadiers  threw  themselves  on  the 
advance  redoubt  and  carried  it  with  cheers.  Then  the 
place  became  a  slaughter-pen,  under  the  concentrated 
fire  from  the  heights.  Swarming  with  thinned  ranks 
out  of  the  death-trap,  the  red-coated  companies  striig 
gled  fiercely  to  scale  the  steep  before  them.  The  tall,  lean  figure 
of  Wolfe  was  everywhere  at  once,  waving  his  stick,  encouraging, 
praising,  urging  on.  But  the  top  of  the  ridge  was  a  ceaseless 
sheet  of  fire,  and  the  red  masses  rolled  back  shattered.  Again 
they  returned  to  the  charge ;  but  soon  upon  the  scene  of  fury 
broke  a  drenching  storm.  The  steeps  became  too  slippery  to 
climb.  The  ammunition  of  defenders  and  assailants  alike  was 
soaked  and  useless.  The  F-nglish  drew  back  baffled  into  tlie  re- 
doubt which  they  had  taken  ;  and  Wolfe  led  them  off  quietly  in 
sullen  array.  Each  side  claimed  that  the  other  had  been  saved 
from  ruin  by  the  storm.  But  the  result  of  the  battle  was  rejoic- 
ing in  Quebec,  and  in  the  English  camp  deep  dejection.  Along 
those  deadly  slopes  had  fallen  five  hundred  of  Wolfe's  best  troops. 
5-  The  Plains  of  Abraham.  —  In  Quebec,  as  the  autumn  wore 
on,  hope  rose  high.  Wolfe  had  so  far  accomplished  little  beyond 
the  devastation  of  some  villages.  He  was  ill  with  a  painful  disease, 
which  now,  aggravated  by  toil,  anxiety,  and  dejection  of  spirit, 
grew  swiftly  worse.  With  it  came  a  fever ;  and  for  many  weary 
days  he  was  held  to  his  bed  in  a  farmhouse  at  Montmorenci, 
English  while  gloom  fell  on  the  troops.     Then  came  news  that 

oppol?tVc%  "o  lielp  could  be  expected  from  Amherst.  A  litde 
Rouge.  i^jgj.  jj^g  captains  of  the  fleet  began  to  talk  of  giving 

up  the  enterprise,  lest  the  ships  should  get  caught  by  an  early 
frost.  But  Wolfe,  though  he  wrote  despondently  to  Pitt,  had  not 
given  up  his  purpose.  He  now  turned  his  attention  to  the  heights 
above  the  city.  With  his  brigadiers  he  arranged  a  new  plan  of 
attack  ;  and  he  promised  the  admiral  that  if  this  plan  failed  he 
would  then  consent  to  withdraw.     Rapidly  and  secretly  the  main 


\\\ 


WOLhJ-JS   I'JXAL   PLAN. 


•55 


body  of  the  troops  was  marched  overland  from  Point  Levi  by 
niglit,  and  concentrated  opposite  Cap  Kouge.  The  position  at 
Montinorenci  was  aljandoncd  ;  and  Montcalm,  thinking  -woife's  final 
that  the  foe  was  ai  Point  LcWi,  was  perplexed  to  know  p^*° 
what  movement  was  afoot.  Did  it  mean  flight,  or  did  it  mean 
attack  ?  Hopofiil  as  hf  naturally  felt,  after  the  summer's  success,  his 
j)osition  was  growing  difficult  from  scarcity  of  food.  The  English 
siiips  above  the  city  patrolled  the  river  so  well  that  the  supply 
boats  from  Montreal  found  it  hard  to  steal  through  the  blockade, 
and  many  were  captured  ere  they  reached  the  wharves  of  Quebec, 
The  land  route,  of  course,  was  open ;  but  where  were  horses  and 
transport  waggons  for  the  work  of  provisioning  a  city? 

Wolfe's  plan  was  a  forlorn  hope.  Up  the  face  of  the  cliff,  at  a 
point  about  three  miles  above  Quebec,  his  glass  had  shown  him 
a  narrow  thread  of  a  path  with  the  tents  of  a  small  guard  grouped 
about  its  top.  This  was  the  Anse  du  Foulon,  where  a  rivulet  had 
cut  itself  a  gully  down  the  steep.  I  p  this  path  by  night  he 
would  send  a  desperate  handful  of  men,  to  hold  the  position  to 
the  death  till  the  army  should  follow  behind  them.  The  plan  was 
known  only  to  the  generals  and  admiral ;  but  the  whole  camp 
knew  that  some  great  game  was  to  be  played.  Demand  was 
made  for  twenty-four  volunteers.  They  came  forward  eagerly, 
for  a  desperate  venture  and  a  goal  they  could  not  guess.  At  last 
there  fell  a  starless  night,  and  the  army  was  ordered  to  the  boats. 
The  fleet,  as  usual,  drifted  up  stream  with  the  tide.  He  floats 
Then,  when  the  ebb  began,  the  boats  cast  off,  and  were  ?it^r°by* 
carried  swifilv  down  toward  the  Anse  du  Foulon,  from  "'2".  . 
that  night  called  Wolfe's  Cove.  The  boat  containing  the  gallant 
twenty-four  was  in  the  lead.  Wolfe  followed  close  behind.  In 
the  darkness  of  that  silent  journey,  to  ease  the  suspense,  he 
quoted  softly  to  the  officers  about  him  the  calm  lines  of  Gray's 
"  Klegv,"  remarking  as  he  ended  —  "Gentlemen,  I  would  rather 
have  written  those  lines  than  take  Quebec."  And,  illustrious  as 
is  'lis  memory,  who  shall  say  that  he  was  not  right? 

The  venture  was  a  desperate  one  indeed ;  for  even  if  all  his 


! 

i  I 


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1 

. 

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( 

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1 

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i 

■ 


156 


A   HI  STONY  OF  CAXADA. 


force  should  gain  the  heights,  they  would  yet  have  an  army  tn 
fight  of  nearly  twice  their  number.  But  meanwhile  the  bulk  of 
the  French  trooi)s  lay  in  their  old  position  below  the  St.  Charles, 
thinking,  from  the  furious  bombardment  which  Admiral  Saunders 
had  opened  upon  them,  that  they  were  to  be  attacked  in  front. 
Knowing  that  tlie  l!]nglish  had  not  wings,  they  never  dreamed  of 
danger  in  the  rear.  That  night  a  number  of  provision  boats  were 
expected  to  pass  down  to  Quebec,  a  fact  which  the  English  had 
learned  from  a  deserter,  l^resently  Wolfe's  foremost  boats  were 
carried  by  a  current  close  to  the  shore.  A  sentinel  challenged 
them  sharply  out  of  the  darkness.  Fortunately  in  one  of  the  boats 
The  sentries  ^^^'^  ^  Highland  officer  to  whom  French  was  as  his 
evaded.  ^^^j^  tongue.      In  reply  to  the  sentry's  questioning  he 

said  —  "Hush,  it's  the  i^rovision  boats.  Don't  make  a  noise 
or  the  English  will  be  upon  us."  Tiie  Frenchman  was  satis- 
fied. A  few  minutes  later  the  boats  were  in  the  cove ;  and 
the  men  landed  noisele.ssly  on  the  narrow  beach  between  cliff 
and  waterside. 

The  fate  of  Canada  had  ordained  that  this  pass  of  the  Anse  du 
Foiilon  should  be  guarded  by  that  .same  coward  Vergor  who  had  so 
lightly  given  up  Beaus^jour.  He  had  been  tried  at  the  time  for 
cowardice,  but  accpiitted  through  the  influence  of  Vaudreuil  and 
The  forlorn  Bigot.  Now,  when  Wolfe's  forlorn  hope  was  creeping 
hope.  ^jp  jj^g  steep,  Vergor  was  asleep  in  his  tent.     When 

those  twenty-four  daring  climbers  reached  the  summit,  there  was 
no  one  to  o|)pose  them.  They  saw  close  by  a  glimmering  group 
of  tents.  They  dashed  on  the  sleeping  guard,  shot  some,  routed 
the  others,  and  captured  Vergor  as  he  sprang  from  his  bed  in 
jianic.  At  the  sound  of  their  cheers  the  rest  of  the  troops,  wait- 
ing in  the  cove  below,  swarmed  up  the  face  of  the  cliff.  Wolfe. 
weak  from  sickness,  but  all  his  soul  on  fire,  found  strength  to 
reach  the  top  among  the  foremost.  When  day  broke,  it  saw 
Wolfe's  army  in  firm  array  along  the  brink  of  the  heights.  He 
stood  between  Montcalm  at  Quebec  and  Bougainville  at  Cap 
Rouge,  with  no  choice  but  victory  or  ruin. 


!J 


Hi! 


li 


///A'  PLAI.\'S   or  ABRAHAM. 


157 


To  seek  a  favourable  battlt'-^round  W'ulfe  moved   forward  to 

what  are  called  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  a  grassy  and  bushy  level 

about  half  a  mile  in  width,  forming  the  \vestern  tnd  of 

"  The  English 

tiie  wind-swept  summit  of  Cape  l^iamond.     Li'.ss  than  on  the  Plains 

11-111  11  °*  Abraham. 

a  inile  away,  but  iiidden  by  a  low  bare  rulge,  lay  (,)ue- 
litc.  On  this  lofty  plateau  Wolfe  drew  up  his  line,  facing  towards 
the  city.  From  the  thickets  surrounding  his  position  ihe  Canadian 
rangers  antl  Indians  kept  up  a  sharp  skirmishing.  Wolfe  made 
his  men  lie  down  to  escape  their  fire,  while  he  engaged  them  in 
the  bush  with  his  light  infontry. 

Presently  the  ridge  before  him  swarmod  with  while  uniforms. 
Montcalm,  riding  into  the  city  about  daybreak,  had  caught  sight 
of  the  scarlet  lines  on  the  height.  In  hot  haste  he  had  Montcalm 
ordered  up  his  regiments  from  the  Heauport  trenches.  *"'^"- 
The  garrison  of  the  city  refused  to  leave  their  ramparts,  and  some 
regiments  under  Vaudreuil's  influence  were  mysteriously  detained. 
With  the  rest  of  his  force,  about  four  thousand  five  hundred  men, 
he  formetl  his  line  of  battle.  Mis  followers  were  full  of  courage. 
Mounted  on  his  great  black  horse,  he  led  them  at  once  to  the 
attack.  They  advanced  with  shouts,  firing  hotly  as  they  came. 
It  was  then  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  On  the  issue  of  this  fight 
was  hanging  the  fate  of  Canada. 

The  scarlet  English  lines  and  the  kilieii  Highlanders  rose  up. 

They  stood  in  ominous  silence.     Suddenly,  when  the  white-coated 

columns  were  within  forty  paces  of  their  front,  there  ^     ^  ^ 

•'    '  '  The  battle; 

ring  a  sharp  command.     Out  flamed  the  answering  and  Wolfe's 

"  *  -  death. 

volley,  a  sheet  of  fire.     The  French  lines  staggered, 

hut  rushed  on  intreiiidly.  Another  shattering  volley,  —  and  when 
its  smoke  rolled  up  the  French  were  seen  broken  and  confused, 
so  terrible  had  been  the  slaughter.  While  they  strove  desperately 
to  recover  formation,  Wolfe  gave  the  order  to  charge,  himself  lead- 
in;;  at  the  head  of  his  grenadiers.  T'hen  rose  the  cheers  of  the 
Iviglish,  the  yells  of  the  Highlamlers,  and  the  wild  skirling  of  the 
bag- pipes.  The  French,  though  cut  to  pieces,  were  not  beaten. 
They  lired  fiercely  in  desperate  groups.     A  bullet  shattered  Wolfe's 


i 


t 


.58 


A    HISTORY   OF  CAt^ADA. 


wrist.  Another  shot  pierced  his  body,  but  he  pressed  on.  Yet 
a  third  struck  hhn  in  the  breast,  and  he  fell.  Two  or  three  of  the 
men  nearest  him  carried  him  toward  the  rem.  At  his  entreaty 
they  laid  him  down.  As  they  bent  over  him  one  looked  up  and 
cried,  "  They  run  !  They  run  !  "  Wolfe  (jpened  his  eyes,  like  one 
half-awakened  from  a  dream,  and  asked,  "Who  run?"  "  llu: 
enemy,  sir!"  was  the  exultant  reply.  "They  give  way  ev(;ry- 
where  !  "  The  dying  general  gathered  his  strength  with  in  effort, 
anil  held  himself  back  from  the  brink.  For  that  instant  he  saw 
clearly.  "  0(^,  tell  Colonel  Jiurton,"  he  said,  "  to  march  Webb's 
regiment  to  the  Charles  River,  to  cut  off  their  retreat  from  the 
bridge."  Then  he  whispered,  "  (jod  be  praised,  I  die  in  peace  ! "' 
and  with  a  sigh  the  life  esca[)ed  his  lips. 

The  rout  of  the  French  was  utter.  The  officers  by  this  time 
could  not  make  their  orders  heard  ;  but  a  body  of  Canadians 
Death  of  distingiiished  themselves  by  making  a  desperate  stand 

Montcalm.       .j^^^^.   ^i^^.  ^,(,p^  ^.^n^.,!  (^-^^  ^^^^  Genevieve,  where 

they  fought  .so  stubi)ornly  that  Webb's  advance  against  the  bridge 
was  foiled.  Montcalm,  des}»erate  and  furious,  was  carried  along 
witii  the  mass  toward  the  city  gates.  A  bullet  passed  through  his 
body  and  he  sank  together  in  the  saddle  ;  but  two  soldiers  had 
seen  him  struck  and  tiiey  supported  their  loved  leader  in  his  seat. 
Thus  he  entereil  liie  gates  which  he  had  so  long  and  well  de- 
fended. When  they  3a^v  him  so  stricken  the  pale  throng  cried 
aloud  in  grief  and  terror.  Montcalm  roused  himself  for  a  moment. 
"  It  is  nothing,"  said  he  ;  "  do  not  be  grieved  on  my  account,  good 
friends."  Then  he  was  carrfed  to  the  house  of  a  surgeon,  —  to 
die.  But  in  his  anguish  he  found  time  to  send  a  note  to  the  Kiifr- 
lish  commander,  begging  him  to  protect  the  people  he  hail  con- 
quered. On  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  September  14th, 
a  little  before  daybreak,  he  died,  and  was  buried  in  a  rough  box 
under  the  floor  of  the  Ursuline  convent.  His  grave  was  a  cavity 
hollowed  by  the  explosion  of  an  English  shell.  The  body  of  his 
great  rival  had  a  different  fate.  It  was  embalmed  and  carried  to 
England,  where  the  public  rejoicings  over  Wolfe's  victory  were 


!    'i 


QUEBEC   CAPITULATES. 


'59 


Quebec  taken. 


quenched  in  sorrow  for  his  death.  As  a  fit  emblem  of  the  union 
of  the  two  races  who  fought  that  day  together  for  the  nustery  of 
('anada,  stands  now  in  Quebec  a  noble  shaft  of  stone,  inscribed 
to  the  memories  of  Montcalm  and  Wolfe. 

By  iMontcalm's  fall  the  French  were  left  leaderless.  The  gallant 
(le  Levis,  Montcalm's  not  unworthy  successor,  was  in  Montreal. 
'11. e  feeble  Vaudreuil,  bold  only  when  danger  was  far  distant,  was 
in  supreme  command.  After  a  few  hours  of  wild 
uncertainty  he  forsook  Quebec,  and  with  a  force  still 
outnumbering  the  English  retreated  up  the  St.  L.-  vrence  to  the 
impregnable  stronghoUl  of  Jacques  Cartier.  The  Knglish  mean- 
while, expecting  prompt  attack,  were  entrenching  themselves  on 
their  victorious  field.  The  command  had  fallen  upon  Townshend, 
Mouckton  being  disabled  by  his  wounds.  When  Townshend  saw 
thai  the  French  army  had  fled,  he  was  no  less  relieved  than  aston- 
ished. But  he  knew  there  were  generals  left,  somewhere  in 
Canada;  and  he  thought  they  would  soon  be  back.  The  safest 
place  for  him  th<;n  would  l)e  inside  the  walls  of  Quebec,  and  he 
inaile  up  his  mind  to  get  there  without  delay.  To  the  comman- 
vlaut,  the  sturdy  Ramesay,  he  sent  a  summons  of  immediate  sur- 
render, declaring  that  he  would  otherwise  take  the  place  by  storm. 
Ramesay  hesitated,  stil!  hoping  for  the  return  of  the  vanished 
armv.  Townshend,  with  unresting  energy,  pushed  his  mines  and 
his  trenches  ever  closer  to  the  walls.  I'hen,  on  the  17th,  the 
Knglish  ships  drew  in.  A  strong  attacking  column  marched  towar(i 
the  city  gates.  The  citizens,  in  terror  at  the  threat  of  an  assault, 
with  all  its  pillage,  flame,  and  butchery,  demanded  instant  capitu- 
lation. Ramesay  yielded  to  their  prayers.  The  flag  of  truce  was 
raised ;  but  some  of  the  officers  pulled  it  down.  -  It  was  raised 
again,  —  and  stayed.  Townshend  was  generous,  and  granted 
honourable  terms.  Tiie  inhal)itants  he  agreed  to  protect  as  if 
they  were  liaiglish  citizens.  The  garrison  marched  out  with  full 
honours  of  war,  and  were  sent  away  to  France  at  the  F^nglish  cost. 
Down  sank  the  lilied  flag  which  had  so  long  waved  over  New 
France ;  and  the  red  banner  of  England  rose  in  its  stead. 


" 


I 

I       J 


i6o 


/*   rri STORY  OF  CANADA. 


Dc  Levis 
arrives  too 
late. 


53.  Quebec  in  English  Hands.  -  Scarcely  was  the  capitulation 
settled  when  messengers  came  to  Ramesay,  with  word 
that  de  L^vis  and  succour  were  close  at  hand,  lint 
it  was  too  late.     Destiny  had  made  her  decision. 

The  English  now  gave  themselves  diligently  to  the  work  of 
making  their  position  secure.  I'his  done,  and  stores  for  the  winter 
gathered  in,  Townshend  and  the  fleet  sailed  away,  leaving  (leneral 
Murray  in  command.  In  Murray  the  Canadians  found  a  warm 
friend ;  and  ICnglish  otifi'-ers  were  loud  in  praise  of  the  devotion 
Murray  win-  ^^'^'^  wliicii  the  French  nuns  attended  to  the  sick 
ters  in  Quebec.  ^^^\  woimdcd  of  both  nations.  The  citizens  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  soon  were  on  cordial  terms  wuh 
the  English  soldiers,  who  shared  rations  with  them  and  vol 
untarily  helped  them  with  their  work.  Murray  planted  strong 
outposts  around  the  city,  to  guard  every  approach  ;  and  as  the 
winter  wore  on  there  were  sharp  skirmishes  at  Point  Levi  and 
Lorette.  The  garrison  was  daily  expecting  an  attack  in  force, 
as  de  L^vis  was  known  to  be  planning  the  recapture  of  Quebec ; 
and  while  they  waited,  sickness  was  decimating  their  ranks. 

But  it  was  not  till  spring  reo])ened  the  navigation  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  that  de  L<ivis  was  ready  to  move  against  Quebec.  All 
The  battle  of  ^vinter,  at  Montreal,  he  had  been  gathering  his  forces, 
ste.  Foy.  'loward  the  tm\  of  April  he  set  out,  with  an  army  of 
eight  thousand  men,  besides  Indians,  sworn  to  recover  the  lost 
jewel  of  New  France.  The  F^nglish  outposts  fell  back  rapidly 
before  him,  destroying  those  stores  they  could  not  save,  and  re- 
united with  Murray  in  Quebec.  De  Levis  halted  at  the  village  of 
Ste.  Foy,  five  or  six  miles  from  the  city,  to  arrange  his  plan  of  at- 
tack. Murray,  daring  to  rashness  and  burning  for  renown,  scorned 
to  await  this  attack.  He  led  out  his  little  army,  thrice  outnumbered 
by  that  of  his  skilful  antagonist,  and  hurled  himself  on  the  French 
columns  as  they  advanced  from  Ste.  Foy.  The  struggle  was  a  mad 
one.  Deeds  of  emulous  heroism  were  many  on  the  field  of  Ste. 
Foy.  But  the  English  had  undertaken  too  much.  Their  losses 
were  tremendous ;  and  seeing  his  error,  Murray  gave  the  order  to 


1    i 


/ 


THE  FREXCH  BESIEGE    QUEBEC, 


i6i 


f.ill  b'ck.  They  obeyed,  but  with  angry  rehutance,  grumbling 
"  \'.  hat  is  faUing  back  l)ut  retreating?  "  Dc  Lc^ivis,  seeing  their  teni- 
;  r.  was  content  to  accept  liis  victory  ;  and  the  ICnghsh  cohunns,  a 
thousand  weaker  than  when  they  started  out,  withdrew  into  the  city. 
And  now  Quebec  was  close  besieged.  The  garrison  was  weak 
with  sickness,  and  worn  with  ceaseless  toil ;  but  its  spirit  was  ex- 
cellent.     Officers   worked    like    privates,    harnessing  ^ 

'  °    Quebec 

themselves  to  the  gun-carriages,  wielding  spade  and  besieged  by 

pickaxe,  sharing  every  hardship  with  their  men.  De 
Levis'  army  was  entrenched  on  the  ridge  to  eastward  of  the  Plains 
of  .Xbraham,  under  a  hot  fire  from  the  ramparts.  Presently  he  got 
his  siege  guns  in  position,  and  a  steady  bombardment  was  kept 
up.  Hoth  siiles  were  expecting  aid  by  sea.  The  question  was 
which  would  first  arrive,  the  French  ships  or  the  English.  One 
(lav  .1  sail  appeared,  with  no  colours  at  the  peak.  The  suspense 
was  breathless.  At  last  the  flag  of  England  fluttered  to  the  mast- 
htnul,  and  the  garrison  went  wild  with  joy.  She  was  but  the  van- 
guard of  a  strong  fleet,  on  whose  arrival  de  LtVis  hastily  withdrew. 
The  French  ships  in  the  river  were  destroyed  ;  but  not  till  one 
sniul!  vessel  had  made  so  superb  a  defence  that  her  captain,  a 
darii'ig  officer  by  the  name  of  Vaucjueline,  was  feasted  and  toasted 
as  a  hero  by  his  admiring  conquerors. 

The  fiilure  of  de  L«Jvis  robbed  New  France  of  her  last  hope. 
Her  keys  were  in  her  enemy's  hands.  Nothing  remained  but 
Montreal.  De  L(^vis,  however,  playing  gallantly  his 
hopeless  game,  guarded  all  the  approaches. 
hiin  moved  Murray  up  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Queljec 
and  Amherst  down  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Lake  Ontario,  while  in 
the  centre  Colonel  Haviland  struck  hard  at  the  line  of  the  Riche- 
lieu. Three  Rivers  with  its  garrison  was  not  disturbed,  as  its  fiite 
hung  on  that  of  Montreal.  A  few  miles  below  Montreal  Island 
Murray  encamped,  threatened  by  French  armies  on  both  sides  of 
the  river.  There  he  anxiously  waited  for  Amherst  and  Haviland. 
rhe  latter  came  first,  having  cut  Bougainville's  lines  and  forced 
him  to  fall  back  without  a  battle.     At  last  came  Amherst,  and 


De  Livis  falls 
Aiiainst    backonMon- 
^  treal. 


\ 


N 


162 


/^    JUS  JOKY   01-    C AX. I  DA. 


laiidetl  at  Lachine.  He  marched  down  the  island  and  ent,  m|ii,t 
under  'he  <Mty's  western  walls.  Murray  at  once  made  landn.'  uk\ 
the  lower  end  of  the  island,  while  Haviland  pitched  his  cai.>« 
u\\  the  siiore  just  opposite.  Tiie  Canadian  militia,  under  prorniM. 
of  Amherst's  j)rotection,  now  deserted  and  went  to  their  homes. 
Vaudreuil  ami  de  Lt^vis  were  left  to  defend  Montreal  with  about 
two  thousand  dispirited  regulars.  These  were  hemmed  in  bv 
three  armies,  amounting  in  all  to  seventeen  thousand  men.  Re- 
sistance was,  of  course,  impossible ;  and  on  the  8th  of  September, 

I  760,  Vaudreuil  cai)itulated,  including  in  the  surrender 
Montreal  and       '  i  '  o 

au  Canada       not  Montreal  alone,  but  the  whole  territory  of  Canada 
capitulate. 

The  French  troops,  save  those  who  chose  to  stay,  wlic 

sent  home  to  France  011  parole,   pledged    not  to  serve   against 

England  during  the  war.     To  the   inhabitants  Amherst  issued  a 

proclaination,  telling  them  that  they  were  now  all  British  subjects, 

and  as  such  to  be  protected  in  all  their  rights  of  person,  property, 

and   religion.     General  Murray  was   appointed   governor  of  the 

new  province. 

Canada  having  become  a  British  colony,  large  numbers  of  the 
old  seigneurial  families,  unwilling  to  live  under  the  flag  whit  h  thev 
Peace  in  Can-  ^"^  their  fathers  had  spent  their  lives  in  defying,  wciu 
the  war  con-  ^^ay  to  France,  robbing  Canada  of  her  best  bluod. 
tinuesabroad.  -pj^g  gj  Lawrence  valley  was  now  at  peace,  and  striving 
to  repair  its  losses.  But  the  Seven  Years'  War  still  raged  abroad, 
—  in  Europe,  in  India,  and  among  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies. 
Still  the  P^nglish  triumphs  went  on  in  far-off  seas,  and  still  the  great 
Frederick  of  Prussia  made  head  indomitably  against  his  swarm- 
ing foes. 

In  Newfoundland  the  settlement  and  fort  of  St.  John's  were 

taken  by  a  French  squadron,  but  only  to  be  recaptured  by  English 

ships  a  few  months  later.     Not  till  nearly  three  years 
The  Seven  '  ^  ,  " 

Years'  War      after  the  capitulation  of  Montreal  did  the  Treaty  ot 
ended  by  the 
Treaty  of         Paris  bring  peace  (Feb.  loth,  1763).     By  this  notable 

document  half   of   North    America   changed   hantls. 

Spain  yielded  up  Florida.     F'rance,  besides  great  concessions  in 


.!  I 


THE    TREATY  OE  PAKIS. 


163 


Other  quarters  of  the  globe,  made  over  to  I'.ngland  all  her  claims 
ami  possessions  in  Ann'rica,  excepting  only  the  territory  of  Louisi- 
ana, at  the  Mississi[)pi  mouth.  She  also  rt-tained,  on  the  (onli- 
tion  that  they  shoiiltl  not  be  garris<.»ne(l  or  fortifieil,  the  two  little 
islands  of  St.  I'icrre  and  Mitjuelon,  off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland, 
riiese  were  to  be  used  as  fishing  statior\s  ;  and  she  was  allowed 
at  the  same  time  to  retain  certain  fishing  privileges  in  the  Clulf 
and  on  Newfoundland's  western  shore,  out  of  which  have  since 
grown  innumerable  difficulties,  —  hereafter  to  be  known  as  the 
I'rench  Shore  Disputes.  [Russia  and  Austria,  left  to  fight  their 
battles  alone,  came  sjieedily  to  terms.  On  the  day  when  the 
treaty  was  signed,  France  secretly  gave  over  to  Spain  the  remnant 
saved  from  the  wreck  of  her  North  American  possessions ;  and 
Louisiana  passed  under  the  Spanish  Oown.  Thus  ended  the 
Seven  Years'  War,  leaving  luigland  intoxicated  with  glory,  mistress 
of  the  North  American  continent,  victor  in  the  tremendous  duel 
for  the  empire  of  the  New  World. 


i  I 


• 


i 

I ' 


■/      ') 


CHAPTER    XII. 
SECTIONS :  — 54,  Poi-hlation  and  Dwki.lings  at  the  Close  op 

THE   FUKNCll    PkKIOI).       55,  UkKSS,  AkMS,  SOCIAL   CUSTOMS.   KooD, 
ETC.,  DUKLNCi    THE   KkI  NCH    PKKIOO. 

54.     Population  and  Dwellings  at   the  Close  of  the  French 

Period.  —  When   the   flag  of  France   departed    from   Canada,  it 

,    .    left  ^  people  destined  to  find  under  the  new  rule  a 
The  people  of  '       ' 

Canada  after    fuller  freedom,  an  ampler  political  development,  a  far 
the  conquest.  .  t     ,    r  , 

more  abundant  prosperity.     It  left  a  people  destined 

to  honour  their  new  allegiance  by  loyalty  and  heroic  service  in  the 

hour  of  trial.     The  spirit  in  which  the  French  Canadian  nobUsse 

—  such  of  them  as  remained  in  Canada  —  received  the  new  rule, 

is  well  exemplified  in  the  words  which  a  French  Canadian  novelist ' 

puts  in  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  old  seigneurs.     The  seigneur,  once 

an  officer  under  the  French  King,  is  on  his  death-bed.    To  his  son, 

who  has  left  the  I'rench  army  and  taken  the  oath  to  the  English 

Crown,  he  says,  "  Serve  thy  new  sovereign  as  faithfully  as  I  have 

servetl  the  King  of  France ;  and  may  God  bless  thee,  my  dear 

son!" 

This  peo])le,  which  thus  became  British  by  a  campaign  and  a 

treaty,  was  destined  to  form  the  solid  core  around  which  shoul  1 

grow  the  vast  Confederation   of  Canada.     But    for  them  there 

would  now,  in  all  likelihood,  be  no  Canada.     By  their  rejection 

of  the  proposals  of  the  revolted  colonies  the  northern  half  of  this 

continent  was  i)reserved  to  Great  Britain.     The  debt  which  the 

empire  owes  to  tiie  French  Canadians    is   immeasurably  greater 


I 


1  Philippe  Aubert  de  Gasp6,  author  of  "Les  Anciens  Canadiens." 

164 


4 


in 


k>ui:bec. 


165 


than  we  at  present  reali/c.     Let  us  examine  the  characteri.sti(:s  of 

the  small  and  isolated  people  which  w.is  to  e\.'rci;ie  such  a  deep 

intluence  on  the  future  of  this  continent.     I -el  us  i onsider  their 

r.iimhers,  the  pec  uliaritie .  of  their  life,  their  food,  their  dress,  and 

tiic  houses  in  whit  h  they  dwelt. 

Tlie  whole  population  of  Canada  when  hhe   tatne   undo^  the 

Driiish  flag  was,  as  we   luive  seen,  about   si\ty  diou:,and.      I'his 

hanlv  handful  was  Leathered  chiefly  at  (}uebe< ,  Tlirec 

,  PopulAf.on. 

Kivcrs,  and  Montreal.     The  rest  traile<l  thinly  aloup 

the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Richelieu,  i  he  l.mds 
about  the  (Ireat  Lakes,  and  the  western  country,  were  held  onlv 
bv  :i  few  scattered  forts,  buried  here  and  there  ir.  ..e  green  w'li.cr- 
nvs^.  At  Def-oit  had  sprung  up  a  scanty  sealement  "  perhaps 
one  tbousaua  souls.  In  these  re. note  posts  the  aP  important 
([u  ion  was  still  that  of  the  fur-trade  with  the  Indians.  The 
traders  and  the  soldiers,  cut  off  from  civilization,  frequently  took 
wives  from  the  Indian  tribes  about  them,  and  settled  down  to  a 
life  iuilf  barbarous.  These  men  soon  grew  as  lawless  as  their 
adopted  kinsfolk.  They  were  a  weakness  and  a  discredit  to  the 
country  in  time  of  peace,  but  in  war  their  skill  and  daring  -vf^re 
the  frontier's  best  defence. 

Quebec  had  seven  thousand  inhabitants.  Most  of  them  dwelt 
between  the  water's  edge  and  the  foot  of  the  great  cliff  whose  top 
was  crowned  l)y  the  citadel.  Where  the  shoulder  of 
the  promontory  swept  around  toward  the  St.  Charles 
the  slope  became  more  gentle,  and  there  the  houses  and  streets 
be'in  to  claml)er  toward  the  summit.  Slieets  that  found  them- 
selves  growing  too  j)recipitous  had  a  way,  then  as  now,  of  chang- 
ing suddenly  into  flights  of  stairs.  The  city  walls,  grimly  bastioned, 
ran  in  bold  zigzags  across  the  face  of  the  steep,  in  a  way  to  daunt 
assailants.  Down  the  hillside,  past  the  cathedral  and  the  college, 
through  the  heart  of  the  city,  clattered  a  noisy  brook,  which  in 
tiiue  of  freshet  flooded  the  neighbouring  streets.  Part  of  the  city 
was  within  walls,  part  without.  Most  of  the  houses  were  low,  one- 
story  buildings,  with  large  expanse  of  steep  roof,  and  high  dormer 


Quebec. 


I   : 


'1 
1 


'A 


I! 


! 


1 66 


//    1,'jS'i'OKV   OF  LA  IV A  DA. 


\   \ 


m 


windows.  Along  the  mcline  leading  down  to  the  St.  Chnrlrs 
stretched  poiMilous  stilMirbs.  On  the  high  i)late;iii  whore  now  lies 
the  stalely  New  Town,  there  was  then  but  ;i  Me.ik  jiasture-l.ind 
whose  grasses  waved  against  the  rity  gales. 

Three   Rivers,  situated  at  the   mouth  of  the  St.  Maurice.   ;(> 
miles  above  Quebec,  was  a  small  town,  dwarted   politically  and 
Three  Rivers    socially  by  Quebec  on  the  one  side  and  Montreal  on 
and  Montreal,   ^j^^  ^^([^qx.     Iron  mines  in  the  neighbourhood  gave  if 
a    measure  of  iniportance ;    anil    it  was    the    stopping-]jlace  for 
travellers  journeying  between  its  bigger  rivals.       Montreal,  after 
its  childhood  of  awful  trial,  hail  greatly  prosi)ered.     Its  popula- 
tion had  risen  to  about  nine  thousand.      The   fur-trade   of  the 
mysterious  North-we.st,  developed  by  a  succession  of  daring  and 
tireless  wood-rangers,  had  poured  its  wealth  into  the  lap  of  the 
city  of  Maisonneuve.     The  houses,  some  of  which  were  buik  uf 
the  light  gray  stone  which  now  gives  dignity  to  the  city,  wore 
usually  of  but  one  story.     They  were  arranged  in  three  or  tour 
long  lines  parallel  to  the  river.     The  towers  of  the  Seminary  of 
St.  Sulpicius  and  the  spires  of  three  churches,  standing  out  against 
the  green  of  the  stately  mountain,  were  conspicuous  from  afar  to 
voyagers  coming  up  the  river  from  Quebec.     The  city  was  en- 
closed by  a  stone  wall  and  a  shallow  ditch,  once  useful  as  a  defence 
against    the    Indians,  but  no  protection   in   the   face  of  serimis 
assault.      At   the  lower  end   of  the  city,   covering  the   landing- 
l)lace,  rose  a  high   earthwork  crowned   with   rannon.     The  real 
defences   of   Montreal    were    the    citadel    of   (,hiebec    and    the 
forts  on  Lake  Champlain.     Save  for  its  threshold   flood  and  its 
guardian   mount,   the  Montreal   of  that  day  bore   little   likeness 
to   r!ie  splentlid  city  whii:h  now  wears  its  name  ami   boasts  of 
its  traditions. 

The  houses  of  the  hahitaus,  the  tillers  c)f  the  i;oil,  were  small 

cabins,    humble    but    warm,  with    wide,    o\-erhaniTinL^ 
T!ii>  houses  , 

of  seigneurs      eaves,  and  consisting  at  most  of  two  rooms.     Tlie  par- 

and  habitans.  ''  ^  i  i  r      i         i 

tition,  when  there  was  one,  was  of  boards.     Lath  and 
plaster  were  unknown.     The  walls  within,  to  the  height  of  a  man's 


DWELLINGS  IN  NEW  FRANCE, 


167 


shniiUlers,  were  worn  smooth  by  the  backs  that  leaned  against 
tliciii.  Solid  wooden  boxes  and  benches  usually  took  the  place  of 
(hairs.  A  clumsy  loom,  on  which  the  women  wove  their  coarse 
lioinosptms  of  wool  or  flax,  occupied  one  corner  of  the  main  room  ; 
aiul  a. deep,  box-like  cradle,  always  rocking,  stood  beside  the 
aiiiple  fireplace.  Over  the  fire  stood  the  long  black  arms  of  a 
crane,  on  which  was  done  most  of  the  cooking ;  though  tiie 
"hake-kettle"  sometimes  relieved  its  labours,  and  the  brick  oven 
was  a  stand-by  in  houses  of  the  rich  habitans,  as  well  as  of  the 
gentry.  For  the  roasting  of  meats  the  spit  was  much  in  use  ; 
and  there  was  a  gridiron  with  legs,  to  stand  on  the  hearth,  with 
a  heap  of  hot  coals  raked  under  it.  The  houses  even  of  the 
upper  classes  were  seldom  two  stories  in  height.  But  they  were 
generally  furnished  with  a  good  deal  of  luxury ;  and  in  the 
cities  they  were  sometimes  built  of  stone.  A  typical  country 
mansion,  the  dwelling  of  a  seigneur  on  his  own  domain,  was 
usually  of  the  following  fashion.  The  main  building,  one  story 
in  lieight  Imt  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  long,  was  surmounted  by 
lofty  gables  and  a  very  steep  roof,  built  thus  to  shed  the  snow 
and  to  give  a  roomy  attic  for  bedchambers.  The  attic  was 
lighted  by  numerous,  high-peaked  dormer  windows,  piercing  the 
expanse  of  the  roof.  This  main  Ivjilding  was  flanked  by  one 
or  more  wings.  Around  it  clustered  the  wash-house  (adjoin- 
inif  the  kitchen),  coach-house,  barns,  stable,  and  woodsheds. 
Tills  homelike  cluster  of  walls  and  roofs  was  sheltered  from 
the  winter  storm  by  groves  of  evergreen,  and  girdled  cheerily 
by  (jrchard  and  kitchen-garden.  On  one  side,  and  not  fl\r  off, 
was  usually  a  village  with  a  church-spire  gleaming  over  it ;  on 
the  other  a  circiilar  stone  mill,  resembling  a  little  fortress  rather 
than  a  peaceful  aid  to  industry.  This  structure,  whete  all  the 
tenants  of  the  seigneur  (the  censitaires)  were  obliged  to  grind 
tiieir  grain,  had  indeed  b'^en  built  in  the  first  place  to  serve 
not  only  as  a  mill  but  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  Iroquois. 
U  was  furnished  with  loopholes,  and  was  impregnable  to  the 
attacks  of  an  enemy  lacking  cannon. 


M 


!  ; 


I  ' 


]'  f 


w- 


^N 


u 


h 

i 


■i 


1 68 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Dress. 


55.  Dress,  Arms,  Social  Customs.  Food,  etc.,  during  the 
French  Period.  —  The  dress  of  the  upper  classes  was  hke  that 
prevailing  among  the  sanne  classes  in  France,  tliough 
much  less  extravagant.  The  hair  was  worn  powdered 
and  in  high,  elaborate  coiffures.  Men's  fashions  were  more 
picturesque  than  those  of  the  present  day.  Their  hair,  curled, 
powdered,  and  sometimes  tied  in  a  queue,  was  surmounted  by  a 
graceful,  low-crowned  hat  with  caught-up  brim.  This  head-dress 
was  superseded  on  occasions  of  ceremony  by  the  stately,  three- 
cornered  cocked  hat.  The  long,  wide-frocked  coats  were  of  gay- 
coloured  and  costly  material,  with  lace  at  neck  and  wristbands. 
The  waistcoat  might  be  richly  embroidered  with  gold  or  silver. 
Knee-breeches  took  the  place  of  our  unshapely  trousers,  ami 
were  fastened  with  bright  buckles  at  the  knee.  Stockings  were 
of  white  or  coloured  silk,  and  .shoes  were  set  off  by  broad  buckles 
at  the  instep.  These,  of  course,  were  the  dresses  of  ceremony, 
the  dresses  seen  at  balls  and  grand  receptions.  Out  of  doors,  and 
in  the  winter  especially,  the  costumes  of  the  nobility  were  more 
distinctly  Canadian.  Overcoats  of  native  cloth  were  worn,  with 
large,  pointed  hoods.  Their  pattern  is  preserved  to  the  present 
day  in  the  blanket  coats  of  our  snow-shoers.  Young  men  might 
be  seen  going  about  in  colours  that  brightened  the  desolate  winter 
landscape.  Gay  belts  of  green,  blue,  red,  or  yellow  enriched  the 
waists  of  their  thick  overcoats.  Their  scarlet  leggings  were  laced  up 
with  green  ribbons.  Their  moccasins  were  gorgeously  embroidered 
with  dyed  porcupine  quills.  Their  caps  of  beaver  or  marten  were 
sometimes  tied  down  over  their  ears  with  vivid  handkerchiefs  of 
silk.  The  habitans  were  rougher  and  more  sombre  in  their  dn  ss 
A  black  homespun  coat,  gray  leggings,  gray  woollen  cap,  heavy 
moccasins  of  cowhide,  —  this  grave  costume  was  usually  brighteiud 
by  a  belt  or  sash  of  the  liveliest  colours.  The  country-women  had 
to  content  themselves  with  the  same  coa'-se  homespuns,  winch 
they  wore  in  short,  full  skirts.  But  they  got  the  gay  colours  which 
they  loved  in  kerchiefs  for  their  necks  and  shoulders. 

In  war  the  regulars  were  sharply  distinguished  from  those  of 


(    '( 


1  ' 


UNIFOKArs  AiVD  ARAfS. 


169 


the  British  army  by  their  uniforms.  The  white  of  the  House  of 
l^ourbon  was  the  colour  that  marked  their  regiments,  as  scarlet 
marked  those  of  the  British.  The  militia  and  wood-  uniforms  and 
rangers  fought  in  their  ordinary  dress,  —  or,  occasion-  *'^'°® 
ally,  with  the  object  of  terrifying  their  enemies,  put  on  the  war- 
paint and  eagle-iiuills  of  the  Indians.  The  muskets  of  the  day 
wi'ie  the  heavy  weapons  known  as  flint-locks.  When  the  trigger 
was  pui'.ed  the  flint  came  down  sharply  on  a  piece  of  steel,  ;md 
the  sp;rk,  falling  into  a  shallow  "pan"  of  powder  called  the 
"prirung,"  ignited  the  charge.  The  regulars  carried  bayonets  on 
the  i  nds  of  their  muskets,  but  the  militia  and  rangers  had  little 
usf  fi-»r  these  weapons.  They  depended  on  their  marknumship, 
winch  was  deadly.  The  regulars  fired  breast  high  in  the  direction 
(1  their  enemy,  trusting  to  the  steadiness  and  closeness  of  iheir 
lire  ;  but  the  colonials  did  not  waste  their  precious  bullets  and 
powder  in  this  way.  They  had  learned  from  the  Indians,  whom 
they  could  beat  at  their  own  game,  to  fight  from  behind  trees, 
rocks,  or  hillocks,  to  load  and  fire  lying  down,  and  to  surprise 
their  enemies  by  stealing  noiselessly  through  the  underbrush.  At 
dose  quarters  they  fought,  like  the  Indians,  with  knife  and  hatchet, 
both  of  which  were  carried  in  their  belts.  From  the  ranger's  belt, 
too,  when  on  the  march,  hung  the  leathern  bag  of  bullets,  and  the 
inevitable  tobacco-pouch  ;  while  from  his  neck  swung  a  powder 
horn,  often  richly  carved,  together  with  his  cherished  pipe  en- 
closed in  Its  case  of  skin.  Very  often,  however,  the  ranger  spared 
himself  the  trouble  of  a  pipe  by  scooping  a  bowl  in  the  back  of 
his  tomahawk  and  fitting  it  with  a  hollow  handle.  Thus  the  same 
implement  became  both  the  tomfort  of  his  leisure  and  the  tor- 
ment of  his  enemies.  In  winter,  when  the  Canadians,  expert  in 
the  use  of  the  snow-shoe  and  fearless  of  the  cold,  did  much  of 
their  fighting,  they  wore  thick  peaked  hoods  over  their  heads,  and 
looked  like  a  procession  of  friars  wending  through  the  silent  forest 
on  some  errand  of  piety  or  mercy.  Their  hands  were  covered 
by  thick  mittens  of  woollen  yarn,  and  they  dragged  their  provisions 
and  blankets  on  sleds  or  toboggans.      At  night  they  would  use 


J: 


ii. 


-K>j.«Binj;ii(ur.ji.m 


M 


;    r 


;  if 


^(1 


170 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


their  snow-shoes  to  shovel  a  wide,  circular  pit  in  the  snow, 
clearing  it  away  to  the  bare  earth.  In  the  centre  of  the  pit  they 
would  build  their  camp-fire,  and  sleep  around  it  on  piles  of  spruce 
boughs,  secure  from  the  winter  wind.  Th/s  leaders,  usually  mem- 
bers of  the  nobility,  fared  on  these  expeditions  as  rudely  as  tlicir 
men,  and  outdid  them  in  courage  and  endurance.  Some  of  the 
most  noted  chiefs  of  the  wood-rangers  were  scions  of  the  noble.st 
families ;  and,  though  living  most  of  the  year  the  life  of  savages, 
were  able  to  shine  by  their  graces  and  refinement  in  the  courtliest 
society  of  the  day. 

The  French  Canadians  of  all  classes  were  a  social  people. 
Quebec  and  Montreal,  even  when  Wolfe's  cannon  were  siariluig 
the  hills  of  the   St.  Lawrence,  found    heart  for  the  delights  of 

dance  and  dinner-party.  The  governor  and  the 
Social  life  ,  .    ,         r~    •    y  •       ,    1 

and  amuse-      high   omcials  were   required   by   etiquette   to  enter- 

tain  with  lavish  generosity.  Balls  were  kept  up  till 
six  or  seven  in  the  morning.  Conversation  was  a  fine  art 
with  these  sprightly  and  witty  people.  The  country  homes  of 
the  seigneurs,  such  as  we  have  described,  were  the  scene  of 
many  gaieties.  Driving  parties,  picking  up  guests  from  each 
manor-house  as  they  passed  it,  would  gather  at  some  hospitable 
abode.  When  tired  of  the  stately  dances  then  in  fashion,  the 
guests  would  amuse  themselves  with  games  sucli  as  now,  when 
men  seem  less  light-hearted  or  more  self-conscious,  are  mostly  left 
to  children.  Society  was  so  limited  in  numbers  that  all  the  mem- 
bers of  it  knew  each  other  intimately,  and  the  merriest  freedom  w;is 
possible.  "  Hide  the  Handkerchief,"  "  Fox  and  Geese,"  "  My 
Lady's  Toilet,"  and  various  games  of  forfeit,  were  among  those 
that  made  life  cheerful  for  the  Canadians  of  old.  Then  there 
was  riding  in  the  summer;  and  in  winter  sledging  over  the  crisp, 
glittering  snow.  Baptisms,  betrothals,  and  weddings  were  made 
occasions  of  feast;  and  on  May- Day  the  hoisting  of  the  may-pole 
in  front  of  the  seigneur's  house  was  accompanied  by  much  merry- 
making, —  eating,  drinking,  bonfires,  and  the  firing  of  guns.  This 
feast  was  the  affair  of  the  habitant,  who  were  for  that  day  guests 


FOOD  AND    TABLE    CUSTOMS. 


171 


of  the  seigneur.  The  may- pole,  presented  and  erected  by  them, 
was  a  tall,  peeled  fir-tree,  with  a  tuft  of  green  left  on  its  top,  and 
surmounted  by  a  red  and  green  weather-cock.  The  whiteness  of 
the  peeled  trunk  was  speedily  blackened  by  the  salutes  of  blank 
powder  fired  against  it. 

During  most  of  the  year  the  habitant  fared  very  plainly.     A 
feast,  therefore,  was  something  to  make  the  most  of.     On  such 
occasions  he  drank  a  good  deal  of  brandy.     Among  the  upper 
classes  drunkenness  was  a  disgrace,  and  all  but  un- 
known.     Durmg   the    early   days   of  the  colony  the   table  cus- 
habitans     had    lived    chiefly    on    bread    and    eels. 
Throughout  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  they  lived 
on  salt  meat,  milk,  and  bread  for  the  greater  i)art  of  the  year. 
lint  in  winter  fresh  meat  was  abundant.     Travelling  was  pleasant, 
and  from  Christmas  to  Ash  Wednesday  there  was  a  ceaseless  round 
of  visits.     Half  a  dozen  sleighs  would  drive  up  to  a  halntant^s  cot- 
tage.    A  dozen  of  his  friends  would  jump  out,  stable  their  horses, 
and  flock  chattering  into  the  warm  kitchen.     The  house-wife  at 
this  season  was  always  prepared  for  guests.     She  had  meats  of 
various  kinds  roasted  and  put  away  cold.     All  she  had  to  do  was 
to  thrust  them  into  the  hot  oven,  and  in  a  few  roinutes  the  dinner 
was  ready.     At  such  times  bread  was  despised  by  everybody,  and 
sweet  cakes  took  its  place.     When  the  habitans,  as  on  May-Day, 
were  feasted  by  their  seigneur,  the  table  was  loaded  with  a  pro- 
fusion of  delicacies.     Legs  of  veal  and  mutton,  roasts  and  cutlets 
of  fresh  pork,  huge  bowls  of  savoury  stew,  pies  of  many  kinds 
shaped  like  a  half-moon,  large  tarts  of  jam,  with  doughnuts  fried 
in  lard  and  rolled  in  maple  sugar,  were  among  the  favoured  dishes. 
The  habitant  cared  little  for  the  seigneur's  wines,  because  they 
did  not,  to  use  his  own  expression,  "scratch  the  throat  enough." 
Among  the  upper  classes  breakfast  was  a  light  meal,  with  white 
wine  and  coffee,  usually  taken  at  eight  o'clock.     Dinner  was  at 
midday,  and  supper  at  seven.     Soup  was  always  served  at  both 
these  meals.     On  the  great  sideboard,  filled  with  silver  and  china, 
which  usually  occupied  one  end  of  the  dining-room  and  reached 


■  I 


i 


1^   i 


172 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


to  the  ceiling,  stood  cordials  to  encourage  the  appetite.  In  one 
corner  stood  a  water  jar  of  blue  and  white  porcelain,  at  which 
guests  might  rinse  their  hands  before  going  to  table.  The  table 
was  served  with  a  great  abundance  of  choice  fish  and  gr.me.  Eacli 
person's  {dace  was  supplied  with  napkin,  plate,  silver  goblet,  spoon, 
and  fork  ;  but  every  one  carried  and  used  his  own  knife.  Some  of 
these  closed  with  a  spring,  and  were  carried  in  the  pocket.  Otiiers 
were  worn  in  a  sheath  of  morocco,  of  silk,  or  of  birch-bark  quaintly 
wrought  with  Indian  designs  in  beads  and  porcupine  quills.  This 
sheath  was  generally  worn  hanging  from  the  neck  by  an  ornamental 
cord.  The  habitatis  often  used  a  clasp-knife  with  no  spring,  which 
had  to  be  kept  open  when  in  use  by  means  of  the  thumb.  To 
use  such  a  knife  was  a  feat  requiring  some  practice.  Among  the 
dishes  specially  favoured  by  the  upper  classes  was  one  of  great 
size  and  richness,  and  of  very  elaborate  construction,  called  the 
Easter  pasty.  This  pasty  was  eaten  cold.  Lest  it  should  break 
in  the  cooking,  and  so  lose  its  flavour,  the  lower  crust  was  an  inch 
in  thickness.  The  contents  were  nothing  less  than  a  turkey,  two 
chickens,  partridges,  pigeons,  and  the  thighs  of  rabbits,  larded 
with  slices  of  pork,  embedded  in  balls  of  force-meat  and  onions, 
and  seasoned  with  almost  all  the  spices  of  the  pantry.  With  such 
a  dish  to  set  before  them  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  Canadians  of 
old  enjoyed  their  banouets.  To  keep  up  the  cheer  of  hearts  that 
aids  digestion,  all  the  company  sang  in  turn  about  the  table,  the 
ladies  bearing  their  full  share  with  the  men.  It  was  a  happy  and 
innocent  life  which  sped  in  the  manor-houses  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
where  the  influence  of  Bigot  and  his  crew  was  not  allowed  to  reach. 
Though  many  of  the  seigneurs  were  ruined  at  the  conquest,  and 
many  others  left  the  country,  those  who  remained  kept  up  their 
ancient  customs  long  after  the  flag  of  France  had  censed  to  wave 
above  Quebec  ;  and  some  of  these  venerated  usages  survive  in  the 
province  to  this  day. 


SECOND    PERIOD. 


I 


ENGLISH   DOMINION :  — THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  RESPON- 
SIBLE GOVERNMENT. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


SECTIONS  1  —  56,  THE  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac.     57,  the  Quebec 
Act.    58,  Affairs  in  Nova  Scotia. 

56.    The  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac.  —  Before  the  Treaty  of  Paris 

was  signed,  a  new  trouble,  arising  from  the  sudden  change  of 

masters,  began  to  brew  in  the  west.     With  the  fall  of  Montreal 

had  fallen  too  the  chain  of  western  forts,  —  Michili- 

Pontiac  plans 
mackinac,  Detroit,  PresquTle,  and  all  the  rest.     The  to  expel  the 

>  M  >  English, 

western  Indians  at  that  time  were  largely  under  the 

influence  of  a  great  chieftain  of  the  Ottawas  named  Pontiac.  In 
force  of  character,  subtlety,  eloquence,  and  daring  he  was  perhaps 
the  most  brilliant  man  the  Indians  of  North  America  have  pro- 
duced. Though  chieftain  of  the  Ottawas  alone,  he  stretched  his 
personal  influence  not  only  over  the  Ottigamies,  Hurons,  Sacs, 
I'ottawattamies,  Ojibways,  and  Wyandots,  but  even  over  the  fierce 
Delawares  and  Shawanoes  on  the  far  frontiers  of  Virginia.  Of  the 
Iroquois,  however,  only  the  Senecas  yielded  to  his  spell.  At  first 
he  accepted,  reluctantly,  the  sovereignty  of  the  English.  But 
speedily  he  saw  that  with  the  end  of  French  dominion  had 
come  the  end  of  his  people's  importance.  No  longer  was  there 
need  of  the  Indian  alliance.  No  longer  were  the  tribes  to  be 
propitiated  with  gifts  and  flattered  with  elaborate  courtesy.  The 
English,  remembering  their  barbarities  along  the  frontier,  and  no 

173 


n 


m 


« 


h\ 


\' 


174 


A  JIlsrORY  OF  CANADA. 


longer  obliged  to  think  of  policy,  treated  them  with  contemptuous 
indifference.  Their  niightiest  chiefs  received  little  more  attention 
than  the  old  women  or  naked  children.  To  Pontiac's  haughty 
spirit  this  treatment  was  intolerable.  He  saw  that  the  Intlians 
must  either  be  swamped  in  the  westward  flowing  torrent  of  the 
pale-faces,  or  else  give  up  their  ancient  inheritance  a.id  flee  deeper 
into  the  wilderness.  Neither  of  these  things  could  he  accept. 
Utterly  mistaking  the  Mnglish  power,  he  conceived  the  design  of 
uniting  all  the  Indians  against  them,  anil  scourging  them  out  of 
the  country.  In  diis  audacious  scheme  he  was  encouraged  by  cer- 
tain of  the  l*'rench  fur-traders,  who  told  him  that  the  King  of  France, 
at  last  stirred  up  to  vengeance,  was  sending  out  a  host  to  annihilate 
his  foes.  And  the  merchants  of  New  Orleans  secretly  urged  him 
on. 

The  conspiracy  was  well  organized.  The  outbreak  was  timed 
for  the  7th  day  of  May,  1763,  —  three  months  after  the  Treaty 
of  Paris  was  signed.  Pontiac  himself  was  to  surprise  iJetroit,  the 
The  Indian  Strongest  of  the  western  forts.  But  the  plot  was  ro- 
nsing.  vealed  by  a  young  squaw  to  Major  Gladwyn,  the  com- 

mandant. On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Pontiac,  with  a  band  of 
chiefs,  came  to  the  fort  on  the  pretence  of  seeking  a  conference. 
Each  conspirator  carried  under  his  blanket  a  rifle  with  the  barrel 
cut  short.  They  were  received  by  the  t^nglish  troops  drawn  up 
in  battle  array.  Siiowing  no  sign  of  his  discomfiture,  Pontiac  de- 
spatched some  business  and  withdrew.  Next  morning  he  came 
aijain,  but  was  ordered  away  from  the  gates.  Then  he  knew 
that  his  plot  was  discovered.  At  once  the  flame  of  Indian  war 
blazed  all  along  the  west.  Detroit  was  vigilantly  besieged  ;  and 
a  detachment  of  troops  from  Niagara,  sent  out  to  relieve  it,  was 
surjirised  and  cut  to  pieces.  Sandusky,  Presqu'Ile,  du  Boeuf, 
Venango,  were  taken  and  destroyed.  The  frontiers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Maryland,  and  Virginia  ran  with  the  blood  of  the  settlers. 
Worn  Detroit  the  garrison  made  a  fierce  sortie  against  Pontiac's 
entrenchments.  To  reach  the  enemy's  position,  which  was  wisely 
placed,  the  soldiers  had  to  cross  a  narrow  bridge  spanning  a  water- 


PONT  I  A  C '  .V   O  VER  TllR  O  W. 


175 


course.     Once  over,  they  were  met  by  a  fire  so  deadly  and  an 

attack  so  intrepid  that  they  were  driven  back  in  confusion.     So 

great  was  the  skiughter  that  the  bridge  has  borne  the  name  of 

"  IJloody  ]]ridge  "  from  that  day.     I'urtlier  to  the  north,  Pontiac's 

followers  got  possession  of  Michilimackinac  by  a  stratagem.     All 

unsuspicious  of  danger,  the  officers  were  invited  out  of  the  fort 

to  watch  the  Ojibway  braves  play  a  game  of  lacrosse.     It  was  the 

4th  of  June,  King  George's  birthday  ;  and  the  game,  with  shrewd 

irony,  was  declared  to  be  in  his  honour.     Skilfully  it  was  played 

for  hours,  the  amused  officers  betting  on  the  result.     Meanwhile 

the  gates  were  open.     .\  number  of  sciuaws,  with  weapons  under 

their  blankets,  wandered  in.     At  last,  apparently  in  the  course  of 

the  game,  the  ball  was  driven  against  the  palisades.     Down  rushed 

the  players  in  a  body.     Then,  with  a  )ell,  they  dashed  through  the 

open  gates,  and   seized  their  weapons.      Before  the   astonished 

girrison  could  awake  from  their  amazement  fifteen  of  them  had 

fallen  under  the  hatchet,  and  the  rest  lay  helpless  in  their  bonds. 

In  the  middle  of  the  summer  Colonel  Henry  Bouquet,  an  officer 

of  high  sagacity  and  courage,  was  sent  out  from  Philadelphia  to 

relieve  the  western  frontier  and  reinforce  Fort  Pitt,   xhe  rising 

.\tier   a   hard   fight   he   defeated  the  Delawares  and  ^"^"ed. 

Shawanoes  in  the  battle  of  Bushy  Run,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes 

(ailed.  Edge.  Hill.     After  this   reverse  some  of  Pontiac's  allies, 

growing  discouraged,  began  to   desert  him.      In  the  next  year 

(1764),  Colonel  Bradstreet,  the  victor  of  Fort  Frontenac,  was  sent 

to  relieve  Detroit  and  chastise    Pontiac.     He  accomplished   his 

first  ol)ject,  and  received  the  submission  of  some  of  the  hostile 

tribes.     But  his  expedition  was  ill  conducted  and  his  treatment 

of  the  Indians  ill  advised  throughout.     He  let  himself  be  fooled 

hy  idle   promises ;   and   Pontiac,  falling  back  before   a  superior 

fiircc,  kept  up  his   depredations  further  west.     Not   until    1766, 

when  the  vigorous  presence  of  Sir  William  Johnson  had  undone 

the  effects  of  Bradstreet'f>  folly,  did  Pontiac  finally  submit.     His 

submission  carried  with  it  that  of  every  hostile  tribe,  and  brought 

instant  peace  to  the  frontiers.     A  year  later,  at  the  trading- post 


ii 


\l 


I 


i 

jii 


*' 


176 


//    niSTOKY  OF  CANADA. 


of  Cahokia  on  the  Mississippi,  this  truly  great  leader  of  his  race 

was  killed  by  an  Illinois  brave  in  some  private  quarrel. 

57.    The  Quebec  Act.  —  During  the  period  from  the  capture  ni 

Canada  in  1760  to  its  final  cession  in  1763,  the  country  was  uniKi 

military  government, — a  despotism  indeed,  but  exercised  witii 

such  forbearance  on  the  part  of  the  conquerors  that  the  conquered 

found  little  to  complain  of.  After  the  Treaty  of  Paris 
Enelish  '  •' 

settlers  nock  was  signed,  the  peoiile  were  told  that  as  soon  as 
into  Canada.  o         »  i       » 

the  affairs  of  the  country  could  be  arranged  they 
should  have  representative  institutions  like  those  in  the  English 
colonies.  With  this  prospect  in  view  F^nglish  settlers  flocked  inio 
Canada.  They  received  liberal  grants  of  land,  on  the  easy  tenure 
of  what  is  known  as  "  free  soccage."  Of  this  tenure  the  only 
conditions  are  allegiance  to  the  Crown  anil  obedience  to  the  laws. 
It  was  understood,  however,  that  after  a  period  of  ten  years  the 
holders  of  these  easy  grants  were  to  be  subject  to  small  "quit- 
rents," —  so  called  because  by  the  payment  of  such  rents  the 
grantees  were  acquitted  from  the  duty  of  rendering  feudal  servi(  c 
to  the  Crown.  The  government  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  .a 
governor  and  council ;  and  English  law,  with  its  essential  principle 
of  trial  by  jury,  took  the  place  of  French  law. 

Over  this  change  of  the  law  there  arose  at  once  a  difificultv 
between  the  "  old  subjects,"  as  the  English  settlers  who  had  ju.^l 

moved  into  the  province  were  called,  and  the  "  new 
English  set-  * 

tiers  object  to  subjects,"  or  French  Canadians.  The  English  settler.^ 
French  law.  .      ,.       ,        ,  ,    ,     •  •   ,  1 

were  inclined  to  be  arrogant  toward  their  neighbours, 

as  toward  a  conquered  people.  In  their  eyes,  too,  English  law 
was  the  only  righteous  law,  and  the  principle  of  trial  by  jury  the 
supreme  safeguard  of  their  liberties.  To  this  principle,  when 
applied  in  criminid  cases,  the  French  did  not  object ;  and  they 
valued  their  new  security  from  being  imprisoned  without  trial ; 
but  to  bringing  mere  civil  cases  before  a  jury  they  had  strong 
objection.  They  complained  that  the  process  was  tedious  and 
expensive,  —  a  serious  drawback  in  the  eyes  of  a  people  who 
loved  to  go  to  law  over  every  dispute.     They  urged,  too,  not 


LAND    TKNUKE  AM)   Mi'KTGAUl-. 


/  / 


witlioiit  reason,  that  they  wislied  their  difiTerences  settled  by  men 
whose  busniess  it  was  to  know  the  law  and  inter])ret  it,  rather 
than  In  men  called  in  smldenlv  from  the  desk,  the  counter,  or 
the  plotij^h,  and  impatient  to  get  back  to  business.  To  the  I'lng- 
li>h  immigrants,  on  the  other  haml,  certain  sections  of  the  I'Vench 
l:i\v  were  excessively  distasteful.  These  were  the  sections  gov- 
erriiDg  sale  and  purchase  of  land,  mortgage,  and  marriage. 

By  the  seignetirial  tenure  the  purchaser  of  land  in  a  seigneury 
\v:\s  tomi)eiled  to  pay  to  the  seigneur  the  /ot/s  et  vents,  already 
referred  to,  whiih  were  an  amount  equal  to  a  twelfth  Difficulties  in 
of  the  pine  ha. -^e-money,  besiiies  the  full  sum  paiil  to  chase^a^nd*""^" 
the  seller.  As  this  ta.x  was  chargeable  not  only  on  ^'"e  of  land. 
the  value  of  the  land,  but  also  on  all  buildings  and  improvements, 
which,  while  costing  the  seigneur  nothing,  were  often  far  more 
valuable  than  the  land  itself,  it  was  considered  by  the  English 
settlers  an  intolerable  handicaj). 

The  French  law  of  mortgage  exposed  the  new-comer  to  still 
^Toater  hardships.  By  this  law,  when  a  man  mortgaged  his  land 
in  security  for  a  loan  the  transaction  was  a  secret  one.  in  regard  to 
Thus  a  man  might  mortgage  his  farm  many  times  over,  "°''*8age. 
and  then  quietly  sell  it.  The  unhaj)py  jnirchaser  would  j)resently 
>ie  his  projierty  taken  from  him  and  sokl  to  satisfy  the  claims  of 
those  holding  tlic  mortgages.  Instances  of  this  sort  were  not  nu- 
merous, indeed  ,  bitt  very  few  were  needed  to  make  the  "old  sub- 
jects "  cry  out,  and  demand  a  public  registration  of  all  mortgages. 
In  regard  to  the  property-rights  conferred  on  the  wife  at  mar- 
riage, there  were  provisions  in  the  French  law  which  English  set- 
tlers, marrying  in  ignorance  of  them,  found  peculiarly  exasperating. 
The  wife,  by  French  law,  had  two  claims  upon  her  husband's  i)rop- 
erty,  the  one  of  "dower"  and  the  other  of  "partnership."  The 
former  gave  her,  in  case  of  her  husband's  death,  half  of  all  his 
real  estate ;  the  latter  gave  her,  even  during  his  lifetime,  half  of 
all  his  personal  property.  It  was  in  regard  to  this  claim  of  part- 
nership that  the  difficulty  arose,  for  if  the  wife  died  before  the 
husband,  this  share  of  hers  went  at  once  to  her  children,  or,  chil- 

N 


,    1 


I 


»  ■ 


i  "  I 


.78 


//   HISTOID Y   OF  CANADA. 


ilren  failing,  to  her  nearest  relatives.  Thus  a  man  mifiht  find  half 
of  his  jiersonal  pr()|)erty  .smldenly  taken  from  hhn  and  handed 
over  to  strangers.  Such  a  contingency  could  be  guarded  against 
only  by  a  formal  contract  made  before  the  marriage. 

Over  these  differences,  and  others  of  like  nature,  there  was 
more  or  less  dispute  in  Canaila  during  the  ten  years  following  tin 
conquest ;  but  the  country  increased  in  wealth  and  population 
more  rapidly  than  it  had  ever  done  before,  and  the  "  new  sub- 
jects "  were  for  the  most  part  well  content.  Hy  Cieneral  Murray, 
The  Quebec  ^'""^'''  ^""^^  governor,  they  were  held  in  high  esteem; 
Act  passed.  ,,j^j  |^jg  successor.  Sir  (luy  (\arleton,  greatly  prefer- 
ring them  to  the  more  turbulent  liritish  settlers,  favoured  them  in 
every  way  that  the  law  would  ])ennit.  It  was  mainly  owing  to  his 
enthusiasm  for  the  French  Canadian  population  that  the  famous 
"Quebec  Act"  of  1774  was  jjassed  by  the  Ikitisii  Parliament. 
This  act  extended  the  limits  of  the  province  southward  to  the 
Ohio  and  westward  to  the  Mississippi.  /\nd  instead  of  giviii;,- 
Canada  a  representative  legislature,  as  the  "  old  subjects  "  eagerly 
demanded,  it  placed  the  government  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the 
governor  and  council.  The  most  important*  and  far-reaching  [)ro- 
vision  of  the  Quebec  Act,  however,  was  that  by  whicl:  the  French 
Civil  Law  was  restored,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  estab- 
lished, thus  making  Canada  in  all  but  name  a  French  colony, 
though  under  tlie  I'Jiglish  Crown.  This  settled  the  question 
as  to  whether  the  l"'rench  Canadians  should  be  swallowed  up 
by  their  English  fellow-countrymen,  or,  retaining  their  language 
and  individuality,  should  develop  side  by  side  with  them.  The 
(piestion  was  debated  hotly  on  the  floor  of  the  British  House  of 
Commons ;  and  the  decision,  so  gratifying  to  the  sentiments  and 
aspirations  of  a  proud  race  like  the  French  Canadians,  was  influ- 
enced perhaps  more  by  policy  than  by  any  considerations  of 
abstract  justice.  The  English  colonies,  freed  at  last  from  the 
menace  of  the  French  power  on  their  borders,  were  banding 
themselves  together  against  the  motherland.  English  statesmei) 
turned   their   eyes  with  ever-increasing   esteem   upon   their  new 


AFFAIRS  IN  N^VA    SCOT/ A. 


1/9 


subjects  in  the  north,  —  an  obedient  peopl«',  trained  in  loyalty, 
with  Church  and  King  snprt-me  in  nil  their  traditions. 

58.  Affairs  in  Nova  Scotia.  —  While  events  were  maturing  and 
changing  so  ra|)i(lly  along  the  St.  Lawrence  valley,  Nov.i  Scotia 
w,is  slowly  healing  her  sears  and  settling  down  to  steady  progress. 
Nova  Scotia  was  now  a  vast  territory,  including  all  of  wliat  arc 
now    New    Hrunswick    and    Prince    I'Mwanl    'sl.md.   „ 

First  Parlia- 

•\long  the  Gulf  coast,  about  the  mouths  of  the  Ririii-    mentot  Nova 

...  .  acoti.\. 

biicto,  Miramic  1    Nepisiguit,  and  kestigouc.ie  rivers, 

the  scenes  of  C.'.irlicr's  first  visit  to  the  mainland,  stood  thriving 
A(  .ulian  settlements  whi<  h  had  escaped  the  decree  of  exile. 
IT.i'se  settlements,  during  the  latter  years  of  the  war,  suffered 
terribly  from  famine,  pestilence,  and  the  attacks  of  r'nglish  ships. 
Wlicn  Quebec  fell,  many  villages  sent  in  their  submission  to 
the  Knglish  at  I'ort  Lawrence,  begging  and  receiving  grants 
of  tbod  to  help  ihem  through  the  winter.  In  July  of  1760, 
just  two  months  before  Montreal  capitulated,  a  French  fleet 
lying  in  the  mouth  of  the  Restigouche  River,  off  the  village  of 
IVtiio  Rochelle,  \v;is  discovered  by  Commodore  Hyron,  sailing 
from  Louisburg  with  five  ICnglish  ships.  'I'he  battle  that  took 
place  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  Petite  Rochelle,  and  in  the 
sinking  or  capture  of  the  whole  French  fleet.  This  fight  in  the 
Restigouche  mouth  was  the  closing  battle  of  the  war.  After 
the  fall  of  Montreal  the  Indians  sent  their  representatives  to 
\'ox\  Frederick,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  John,  to  take  the  oath  of 
all<Lriance  to  (ieorge  IH,  and  to  ren^^w  -  ♦^reaty  which  they  had 
iivi'le  with  the  lOnglish  in  1726.  Meanwhile  upon  all  the  loyal 
inhabitants  of  the  great  Acadian  province  had  been  conferred 
ihu  badge  of  Anglo-Saxon  freedom,  representative  government. 
in  October,  1758,  the  Parliament  of  Nova  Scotia  met  at  Halifax. 
i  his  was  thiC  first  representative  assembly  ever  convened  on  Cana- 
(Han  soil.  It  consisleil  of  twenty-two  members,  representing  the 
districts  of  Halifax,  Annapolis,  Dartmouth,  Lunenburg,  and  Cum- 
berland. Under  the  stunulus  of  this  change  settlers  began  to 
coine  in  from  the  hill  districts  of  New  England,  exchanging  their 


• 

■i, 

1     *     I 


I      : 


!     \ 


11 ! 


:| 


f  iij 


Ml 

\  Hi; 

t  ^  \ 


h    \ 


A  :    !, 


f;! 


1 80 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


i 


rocky  farms  for  the  rich  meadow-lands  of  the  Cornwallis,  Annap- 
olis, Avon,  and  Shubenacadie  valleys.  The  population  of  Nov:i 
Scotia  was  increased  by  over  seven  thousand  of  these  New  Eng- 
land immigrants,  between  1759  and  1763.  I'ioneers  from  Penn- 
sylvania, and  afterwards  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  formed 
a  settlement  which  they  called  Pictou,  on  the  shores  of  Northum- 
berland Strait. 

About  the  same  time  a  band  of  New  Englanders  from  Massa- 
chusetts took  up  a  track  of  fertile  land  on  the  St.  John  River  about 
New  Eng-  the  mouth  of  the  Oromocto,  and  called  their  settlement 
on"the  St*"**  Maugerville.  Soon  afterwards  the  greater  part  of  what 
John  River,  j^.  j^^^  ^.r^^  Brunswick  was  made  the  county  of  Sun- 
bury  in  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia.  Many  of  these  pioneers  at 
Pictou  and  at  Maugerville  endured  great  hardships,  from  the  fail- 
ure of  crops  and  from  the  severe  weather  that  came  upon  them 
before  they  were  ready  to  meet  it.  There  was  then  an  Acadian 
settlement  at  St.  Anne's  Point,  where  now  stands  Fredericton. 
This  little  French  village  formed  a  reminder  of  the  days  when 
the  capital  of  all  Acadie  was  Villebon's  rude  fort  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Nashwaak  River  opposite.  Acadian  settlers,  too,  clustered 
on  the  rich  meadows  about  the  Keswick  mouth,  ten  miles  above 
Fredericton. 

Prince  Edward  Island,  then  called  by  the  old  name  which  its 
illustrious  discoverer,  John  Cabot,  had  given  it,  —  the  Island  of 
St.  John,  —  had  but  a  scanty  population,  in  spite  of 
sMohn,"now  '^^^  fertile  soil  and  inexhaustible  fisheries.  At  the 
ward^i^and  ^"""^  ^^  '^^  ^"^^  capture  of  Louisburg  in  1758,  when 
rate  province.  ^^^  island  came  into  English  hands,  it  had  but  four  or 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  many  of  whom  were  A(M- 
dians  of  Beaus^jour  and  Minas,  who  had  fled  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Exile.  After  the  Treaty  of  Paris  a  careful  survey  was  made 
of  the  island.  Not  only  were  its  area  and  resources  investigated, 
but  plans  were  elaborated  for  its  speedy  settlement  and  develop- 
ment. The  old  French  station  of  Port  la  Joie  was  selected  as 
the  capital,  and  received  the  name  of  Charlottetown.     In  1767 


I  \ 


PRINCE   EDWARD   ISLAND. 


I8l 


the  whole  of  the  island  was  granted  to  English  officers  and  others, 
at  small  quit-rents,  on  condition  that  each  grantee  should  within 
the  next  four  years  bring  in  one  actual  settler  for  every  two 
hundred  acres  of  his  grant.  The  vast  estates  thus  lightly  gained 
were  as  lightly  valued.  Sometimes  they  were  sold  for  a  trifle, 
sometimes  they  were  gambled  away,  till  almost  all  this  "  Garden 
of  the  Gulf"  was  in  the  hands  of  a  few  indifferent  proprietors, 
many  of  whom  dwelt  in  England  and  disregarded  the  terms  on 
which  they  had  received  their  great  possessions.  This  state  of 
affairs  svas  a  grievous  drawback  to  the  growth  of  the  island  ;  and 
later  on,  us  we  shall  see,  it  led  to  serious  evils.  At  the  request 
of  the  new  proprietors,  the  island,  with  its  little  handful  of  colo- 
nists, was  separated  from  Nova  Scotia  and  erected  into  a  separate 
|)rovince.  This  took  place  in  1770;  and  Colonel  Walter  Patter- 
son was  made  first  governor,  with  a  small  salary,  and  with  such 
;i  variety  of  duties  as  few  governors  have  been  asked  to  perform. 
He  came  with  a  full  staff  of  officials,  their  stipends  to  be  judged 
from  that  oi  his  attorney-general,  which  was  fixed  at  one  hundred 
l)ounds  a  year  Small  as  it  was,  it  proved  for  some  time  more 
than  he  could  collect.  Undaunted  by  lack  of  population,  and  of 
many  other  things  usually  considered  requisite  to  a  full- fledged 
province,  provision  was  ciuickly  made  for  an  elective  assembly, 
which  was  duly  ccavened  and  held  its  first  session  in  1773. 


^^-^^ ^ 


CHAl'TKR    XIV. 


\i    <\ 


SECTIONS:  —  59,  Troimu-k  hkkavinc;  bjtwkicn  ENfiLANt)  anu  tih 

TlIIUTKlN  COI.ONIKS.  6o,  Till-;  Wak  HKCil'N.  AND  C'ANAD  V  IN- 
VAOKI)  HY  TIIIC  KlAOI.UTIONIsrS.  6l,  TMK  Kl'VOl.TINC;  Cdl.ONlI  S 
ACHIKVR   TUKIK    InDKI'KNUKNCE. 


Hi 


|M 


i  I' 


59.  Trouble  brewing  between  England  and  the  Thirteen  C:l- 
onies.  —  Hardly  had  the  bonfires  that  hailed  the  coiujuest  of 
(\inadadied  out  in  the  market-places  oi  Hostoji,  Pliiladelphia,  ;in(l 
The  growth  New  York,  hardly  were  the  piE.ms  of  loyal  rejoicing 
tion'in'the'  hushed  in  colonial  throats,  ere  began  that  unhappy  dis- 
coionics.  p^j^j^  which  ended  in  the  rupture  of  our  race.    When  the 

Treaty  of  Taris  was  signed,  there  were  shrewd  observers  in  Kurope 
who  said  that  in  driving  France  out  of  North  America  Kngland 
had  thrown  away  her  strongest  hold  upon  her  colonies.  In  fact, 
no  sooner  did  the  colonies  <'ease  to  need  the  strong  arm  of  the 
mother  country,  than  they  also  ceased  to  remember  that  they  owed 
her  anything.  When  the  bugbear  of  French  invasion  no  longer 
terrified  them,  they  chmg  no  longer  to  the  mother's  skirt.  No 
longer  occupied  in  fighting  the  enemy  at  their  gates,  they  turned 
their  turbulent  energies  to  figluing  the  officers  c^f  the  King,  the 
regulations  of  Parliament.  That  they  had  bitter  grievances  the 
most  hostile  historian  must  allow.  But  that  these  grievances  were 
sufficient  to  justify  them  in  setting  their  swords  to  the  throat  0! 
the  motherland,  —  this  is  what  no  fair  critic  can  grant.  That 
motherland  had  just  been  fighting  their  battles,  pouring  out  her 
blood  and  treasure  lavishly  to  rid  them  of  their  foes.  The  Seven 
Years'  War,  as  far  as  Kngland  was  concerned,  was  purely  a  w  i'^ 


CVl.  O.  \  'lA  1     (.  R  IE  VANCES. 


F83 


for  the  colonies.      h\  this   inipcri.il  cause   slu-  btinlcned    herself 
with  a  debt  that  was  \n  those  days  held  appalling.     It  was  not  to 
be  wondered  at  that  she  shonld  expect  the  colonies  to  lontrilmte 
something   toward    the  payment  of  this  del)t.      The  only  way  in 
which  they  couKl  be  called  on  to  contribute  seemed  to  be  through 
the   niedivim   of  taxes.      On    the   other   hand,   the   colonics   were 
without  rei)resentatn)n  in  the  Iinperi;il  I'liliament,  and  one  of  the 
dearest  principles  of  iJritish  liberty  was  that   (heie  should  be  no 
taxation  without   roj^resentalinn.       The  jjosition  was  plainly  one 
that  retpiired  tact  and  tenderness  on  both  sides  ;  but,  alas,  no  tact 
or  tenderness  was  shown  on  either.     The  British  government  was 
bitterly  aggrieved  at  tlic    ingratitude  of  the  colonists  in  seeking 
to  evade  their  share   of  the   war- debt.      The  colonists  grew    to 
believe  that  then-  most  sacred  rights  were  being  trampled,  ti  Mr 
manhood   <  onteuii)iuously    ignored.      Their   smouldering   wrath, 
fanned  by  agitators  and  dcmagogut-s  who  now  stmt  as  patriots 
across  the  page  of  history,  tlamed  out  at  last  in  open  rebellion. 
True  patriots  indeed  there  were  in  the  American  colonies;  and 
in  both  the  loyalist  and    revolutionary   parties   they  were  to  l)e 
found.     Among  them  towers  preeminent  the  (igure  of  Washington, 
whose  clear  sincerity,  dauntless  c(.)iirage,  and  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion to  his  country  command   the  reverence   of  friend  and   foe 
alike.     Hut  Washington,  and  those  'ike  Washington,  did  not  go 
about  to  stir  up  the  conflagraticui.  while  at  the  same  time  profess- 
ing unquenchable  lo}alty  to  England  I      I'hey,  on  the  contrary, 
sought  a  common  ground  k)^  rer  onciliation,  in  a  removal  of  just 
gnevances  on  both  sides.     Hut  on  botli  sides,  alas,  prevailed  the 
counsels  of  the  rash  and  blind. 

bet  us  glance  hastily  at  some  of  the  grievances  of  which  the 
(olonies  complained.  These  chielly  had  regard  to  customs  du- 
ties and  interference  with  trade.  For  the  benefit  of  colonial 
British  merchants,  British  manufacturers,  and  British  «"«^*nce8. 
ship-builders,  colonial  ship[)ing  was  kei)t  down  ])y  severe  naviga- 
tion laws,  colonial  manufactures  were  strangled  by  ingenious 
prohibitions,  and  colonial  commerce  was   allowed    to   flow  into 


T 


"  A^rwyifit  iwr™:w,*fw-»# 


184 


//    f //STORY   OF  CAA'ADA. 


I    i 


I   ' 


i    '.I  • 


III 


I.   t 


r 


none  but  British  ports.  The  great  products  of  the  counlrv  — 
furs,  hides,  (otton,  indigo,  tobacco,  sugar  —  could  be  solij  only 
to  Great  IJritain  ;  ami  none  but  Britisii  ship^  wore  allowed  in  tlic 
colonial  harbours.  Oi  course,  as  a  result  of  such  regulation^-,  an 
immense  deal  of  smuggling  went  on.  This  proved  very  profitable 
to  the  coK)nists,  AVhen  England  uudertook  to  sujjpress  it,  there 
was  resistance  at  once.  In  a  foolish  hour  the  British  government 
determined  to  employ  the  King's  army  and  the  King's  navy  in  the 
work  of  revenue  (ollecting.  The  royal  uniforms  thus  became 
associated  in  the  popular  mind  with  all  that  was  most  hateful  to 
it,  —  with  the  collection  of  ta.\es  lieemed  unjust,  and  with  the  exe- 
cution of  laws  held  tyrannical.  The  British  troops  had  already 
made  themselves  very  unpo])ular  with  the  colonists  by  their  over- 
bearing attitude,  and  by  the  supercilious  contempt  which  they 
displayed  toward  the  colonial  militia,  who  were  man  for  man 
their  ecpials.  In  fact  it  has  been  said  that  tiu;  seeds  of  the  revolu- 
tion were  sown  by  the  ill-bred  arrogance  of  British  officers,  uho 
made  themselves  hateful  to  all  the  colonial  troops. 

But  among  the  events  which  stand  out  as  direct  causes  of  the 
revolution,  none  loom  darker  than  the  Stamp  Act  and  the  Tea 
Tax.  The  Stamp  Act  (1763)  required  that  all  contracts,  deeds, 
wills,  and  such  like  written  agreements  between  man  and  mai; 
should  carry  government  stamps  in  order  to  be  legal. 
I'he  tax  was  a  light  one,  but  it  reached  into  evtr\ 
concern  of  life.  It  force<l  itself  upon  the  attention 
of  every  colonist.  It  was  a  frank  assertion  of  the  claim  of  the 
Imperial  Parliament  to  tax  ]'>ritish  subjects  not  rej^resented  ii'. 
that  Barliament.  The  act  was  botli  improper  and  impolitic. 
Wise  statesmen,  like  Pitt,  spoke  fervently  against  it,  but  in 
vain.  Then  from  end  to  end  of  the  .Atlantic  seaboard  rose 
fierce  protests.  Mobs  gathered  to  resist,  and  collectors  were  so 
roughly  handled  that  they  resigned  their  offices  in  terror.  T;k 
storm  deepened  so  ominously  that,  at  the  eleventh  hour,  th 
ministry  bowed  before;  it,  and  repealed  the  tax  (1766).  Thert 
upon  the  colonies  sank  back  into  an  uneasy  quiet.     It  was  tht 


The  stamp 
Act  and  the 
Tea  Tax. 


'UK    "'.«■    HKcrxs. 


1 85 


""'*■■' ?';:*'»bering  volcano.     The  „e«  f  , 

;■"■■'  >""  '"  '^••'  ""  tea  brought  u  1  "  ,      t'  """"^  "'  ''TluMnen. 

foreh  ,he  .„,,.       f  ,He  .  olo^         'V^  °'""'  P°«-     Again  bla.ed 

l'"l'"'"  'nd,«„a>io„.     A  rev.,,   '  en,         "  "'  "''^  "■'"'■<^  "f  >!« 
A  .nerehant  eaughe  selln.g  l-  1,,         ,  "'"  '""-■^'''  ""'I  ''"rneci 
•'V-  very  preacher,  fro,,,  ht^  l,r',    "?  ''"""•'  '"  "-  --   .' 
»-cc,i„n.     The,,  ca,ne  th     ,'         ,"     '""'  ""  ""=  "^■"l*^  >o  i„ 
'•■•"r-  0773),  when  a      ,,,   „  " !  ""'  <"  "-  "  lio.,o„   T 
-ago,,,  i,„arded  a  Hri.ish  °,n,i°"""  •"''"■"'•  '"^-'-'l 

."."  the  wa,er...    Th,,  of  c       e  :  ,T"n'  ""  ^■•^^«"  "^  - 
he  le«  crnninai  because  ridicubu,  ^^a  .'''''^''^'   felony,  „„„, 
o  a'tn"ra.,on  as  a  .ligmfed  a,«     '   ^     '    "  "'""■'"""  ''eld  „p 
'-■^""n  .'    The  angry  ho,„e  go  er^"  '""''"  "«^"'»'  ""i"« 
I-  of  Boston  and  wi.i,drawi,,g,e"l '«;'"«'  ^y  closing  ^.e 

Var  see,ned  by  this  ti,«e  very  „e  7    w        ''■■"^^'""■^"='- 
'"  Jev,se  ,„ea„s  of  ,„,„„„        J  '^'J'-     A  tontinental  Congtess, 
'"et  a,  Philadelph.a  (,,,4)      Zl    T,      "'^"'''  «""n,oned      I 
forwanled  to  the  King.        ,e  of    ,!.'""  °'  ""''''>  l'™'es,  wa 
-•"lonies  was  alleged  to  be   he  n         '^"''^'"""  °<  *« 

^"-    '-Lis  es,ablish,nent   f  .  LC",S  1  "^  '^"^''^'=  """"»" 
"  ">e  north   was  deehred  t  ^""""'"  ''™""ee   ""' 

IVotestan,  colonies.    !„  „,.  f  1  '  ■■"'  '"'"lerable  ,„enace  to  the 
•»  P'-iadelphia  (iray""  !)""'?'"«  >"'  "-  Congtess  n,e. .  g    ' 
"■  ^-a  Scotia  and  Quebec'   i     '"'''"'"  "'^"^"'  ^^  ""-  "«  a 
P-7«'s  in  withstanchng  B  It' ;  .?,  ""  ""'"  '"  ^"-  *eir  s  ^^ 
■"  '  "f  ««■     In  the  adcire  s    o  r       {•     ''"  ""^  '""-^Se  fell 
P"i-.la.io„   was  flattered   and     "te^M  '   "'   '''""'"   ".'■""'""c 
'"""«  with  the  words  of  the  "r"    '"    '  "'■'^'  "™8'^'^  »' 
«;'«.a^.ics  of  Quebec  n,„s  have  smUd",  .7"-     ''"^  'i'"™ 

«»■   The  War  begun,  and  C.1!  "'  ""=  <^°""-aM. 

;,-  ^'-while,  sonfe  Ct  '  et:  "r*"  "'  "■"  ''—■"«"'«=. 
<  ™>«ress,  swords  had  been  ,  r„      ,  ""'""S  °f  'he  second 


II 


}    } 


) 


Mi 


i! 


!il 


i 


'  -^V^  --'^*»j.j'.n?a;:T;js;sc»/.'a'»:'.' 


1 86 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


This  force  had  been  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  "  Minute  Men," 

—  as  the  militia  about  Boston  were  called,  from  the  fact  that  they 

were  ready  lor  duty  at  a  minute's  notice,     'i'he  Kntr- 
Lexington  ^  ^  '^ 

and  Bunker  lish  soldiers  were  driven  back  to  the  city  with  heavy 
loss,  but  not  till  they  had  accomplished  their  errand 
and  destroyed  the  stores.  Then,  two  months  later,  came  tin- 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  This,  contrary  to  the  general  notion,  was 
a  British  victory,  —  but  it  was  a  costly  one.  Twice  were  the  royal 
troops  repulsed  with  loss,  before  they  succeeded  in  carrying  the 
enemy's  position.  The  rebels  made  a  brave  stand,  but  in  the  end 
were  utterly  defeated  ;  and  their  defeat  is  commemorated  by  a 
trophy  which  stands  on  the  citadel  at  Quebec.  It  is  one  of  the 
cannon  which  the  British  columns  captured  at  Bunker  Hill. 

In  the  name  of  the  United  Colonies  a  continental  army  was  now 
enrolled.  Its  professed  aim  was  not  to  seek  independence,  but 
to  secure  redress  of  grievances.  The  Continental  Congress,  then 
in  session  at  Philadelphia,  decided  that  if  Canada 
did  not  thirst  for  the  blessings  of  liberty,  these  bless- 
ings must  be  thrust  upon  her.  It  was  resolved  tt> 
capture  Canada  befcne  reinforcements  from  England  could  be 
poured  in.  That  redoubtable  rebel.  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  with  a 
l)and  of  his  Vermont  Rangers,  or  "  (Ireen  Mountain  Boys,"  had 
surprised  the  forts  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  The  old 
war-path  into  Canada  lay  open.  An  army  of  three  thousand  men 
under  General  Montgomery  was  sent  against  Montreal  by  way  of 
the  Richelieu  ;  while  Colonel  Benedict  Arnold,  with  a  force  of 
twelve  hundred,  made  his  way  up  the  Kennebec  and  down  the 
Chaudiere  toward  Quebec.  To  defend  Canada  against  these  two 
invasions  the  governor,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  had  only  about  four 
hundred  regulars,  and  some  five  hundred  and  fifty  French  Cana- 
dian voltmteers.  l^he  ha />i fans,  for  the  most  part,  were  deter- 
mined to  remain  neutral.  They  had  had  enough  of  fighting  to 
last  them  for  a  generation.  In  s{Mte  of  the  api)eals  of  their  clergy. 
the  persuasions  and  commands  of  the  seigneurs,  they  refused  to 
respond  to  the  governor's  call  for  aid.     Nevertheless  we  may  say 


Canada 
invaded  by 
the  rebels. 


.1  I 


iJi 


\    i 


QUEBEC  ATIWCKED. 


187 


that  to  them  we  owe  this  Canada;  for  without  the  i^tfi  hundred 
Freni  h  Canadians  who  did  rally  to  the  British  flag,  and  without 
the  obstinate  neutrality  of  their  countrymen,  Quebec  must  have 
fallen.  By  refusing  to  join  the  rebels  the  habitans  fought  Eng- 
land's battle. 

To  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  also,  we  owe  a  debt  that  is  never  to  be 
forgotten.  But  for  his  unconquerable  energy  the  invaders  must 
have   triumphed.     They   forced   the   passage   of  the 

Richeheu,  captured  the  forts  of  St.  John's  and  Cham-   Carietonat 

Quebec. 
bly,  and  took  possession  of  Montreal.     C-arleton  fled 

in  disguise  to  Quebec,  narrowly  escaping  capture,  and  there  made 

ready  for  his  last  stand.    In  Quebec  he  weeded  out  all  those  citizens 

who  sympathized  with  the  rebels,  expelling  them  from  the  city. 

From  among  the  loyal  remnant  he  was  able  to  enroll  some  hundreds 

of  hardy  volunteers.     With  sixteen  hundred  men  at  his  back  —  a 

small  force  indeed,  but  to  be  trusted  —  he  awaited  the  struggle. 

Wlien  Arnold,  after  a  daring  and  terrible  journey  through  the 
winter  wilds,  arrived  at  Quebec,  he  came  under  the  walls  and 
called  upon  the  city  to  surrender.  He  was  answered  from  the 
mouth  of  a  cannon.  Thereupon  he  withdrew,  and  formed  his 
camp  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  A  little  later  he  was  Arnold  before 
joined  by  Montgomery  from  Montreal.  Quebec  was  '?^^''*'=- 
then  closely  I)esieged ;  but  the  position  of  the  besiegers,  as  the 
rigour  of  winter  settled  in,  became  bitterly  trying.  They  were 
chagrined  at  their  failure  to  seduce  the  French  Canadians.  They 
knew  that  if  the  siege  dragged  on  till  spring  they  might  expect  a 
British  fleet  to  relieve  Quebec.  In  this  strait  they  resolved  on 
a  desperate  venture. 

It  was  the  last  night  of  the  year  1775.     In  thick  dark  and  a 

driving  storm  they  crept  up  to  take  the  city  by  assault.     While  a 

feii^ned  attack  was  made  on  the  walls  over  against  the 

°  °  The  double 

IMains  of  Abraham,  two   assaulting  columns    moved   assault  on 

_  Quebec. 

secretly  upon  the  Lower  Town.     Once  let  the  streets 

be  gained,  and  they  trusted  to  scale  the  walls  to  the  Upper  Town. 

One  column,  led  by  Arnold,  approached   from  the  side  of  the 


1! 


■■.niiiiiiinwuiMimwii 


1 88 


A   JHSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


"f 


■H 


%  i 


i  i 


St.  Charles,  through  the  suburb  of  St.  Roch's.  After  a  hot  f\\i\\\, 
in  which  .Arnold  was  wounded,  the  assailants  carried  the  two-gun 
battery  which  guarded  the  entrance,  and  forced  their  way  into  the 
city.  With  flame,  and  steel,  and  yells,  raged  the  battle  through 
the  streets,  till  there  came  a  body  of  troops  from  the  Upper  Town. 
Falling  upon  the  rear  of  the  invaders,  they  captured  about  four 
hv.iidred,  and  drove  the  rest  in  headlong  (light. 

'i'he  second  assaultmg  column,  led  by  Montgomery  himself, 
came  down  the  St.  Lawrence  shore  from  Wolfe's  Cove,  and 
Defeat  M  sought  to  enter  the  city  by  a  narrow  path  where  now 
andd"aTifof  ^uns  Champlain  Street.  At  the  head  of  this  path 
Montgomery,    ^^^^^.j  ^^,,^^^j  ^^  (.ompauv  of  Canadians.    They  had  a 

small  cannon,  loaded  with  grape,  pointing  directly  up  the  path. 
The  enemy  stole  forward  in  the  darkness,  till  they  thought  them- 
selves near  enough,  and  then  made  a  rush  to  overpower  the  guard. 
But  in  their  faces  belched  a  roaring  flame,  and  a  close  volley  of 
grape  mowed  down  the  head  of  their  column.  Among  the  slain 
were  Montgomery  himself  and  his  two  aides.  Leaving  their  suil 
den  dead  on  the  field,  where  the  falling  snow  soon  covered  them, 
the  assailants  fled  in  a  panic.  In  the  morning  the  bodies  were 
brought  into  the  city.  That  of  Montgomery  was  cared  for  with 
special  consideration ;  and  the  place  of  his  burial,  in  the  St.  Louis 
bastion,  was  miirked  with  a  cut  stone.  The  dead  leader,  slain  so 
piteously  in  darkness  and  defeat,  was  a  brave  and  humane  officer 
whose  memory  is  respected  by  his  foes.  His  death  was  in  strik 
ing  contrast  to  that  of  his  adored  master,  the  heroic  Wolfe.  It  is 
a  strange  coincidence  that  both  Montgomery,  the  invader  of  Can- 
ada, and  Carleton,  her  defender,  had  fought  under  Wolfe  in  his  last 
campaign,  and  made  him  their  exemplar  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  man. 
After  this  disastrous  repulse  the  enemy  contented  themselves 
with  keeping  the  city  under  strict  blockade.  Toward 
spring  reinforcements  arrived,  and  they  pressed  the 
siege.  But  betbre  they  could  accomplish  anything  the 
garrison  was  cheered  by  the  sight  of  British  ships  in  the  St.  Law- 
rence.  The  invaders  hastily  retired.    Carleton  sallied  out  upon  their 


The  Ameri- 
cans driven 
outof  Canada. 


AMERICAN  IXDEPEXDENCR. 


189 


nar,  captured  their  artillery,  and  turned  their  retreat  into  a  head- 
long rout.    A  few  weeks  later  a  little  band  of  regulars  and  Indians, 
iltscending  from  the  western  forts  to  help  in  the  defence  of  Can- 
ada, attacked  and  captured  a  body  of  four  hundred  Americans  at 
tho  rajjids  of  "The  Cedars"  on  the  St.  Lawrence.     This  was  in 
May  of    1776.     In   June   the  Americans   sent  a  force  to   attack 
riiree  Rivers.     They  were  met  by  an  equal  force  of  Canadians 
and  regulars.     The  battle  was  sharp,  but  the  invaders  were  routed. 
Reinforcements  were  now  llowing  into  Canada;  and  the  Ameri- 
can troops,  giving  way  at  all  points,  abandoned  Montreal.     They 
fi'll  back  on  Lake  Champlain.     There,  for  a  time,  a  small  fleet 
gave  them  control  of  the  situation.     But  during  the  summer  the 
British   built  an  opposing  squadron.     By  autumn  it  was   afloat  ; 
and  then  was  fought  a  hot  battle  for  the   mastery  of  the   lake. 
The  fleet  of  the  revolutionists  was  destroyed.     'I'hereupon  they 
blow  up  the  grim  ramparts  of  Crown  Point,  and  left  the  lake  in 
Knglish  hands.     Carleton  drew  his  entrenchments  at  Isle  au  Noix  j 
and  once  more  the  inland  gates  of  Canada  were  barred  against 
the  enemy. 

6i.  The  Revolting  Colonies  achieve  their  Independence. — The 
invaders  having  been  beaten  back  from  the  bounds  of  Canada, 
tlio  rest  of  the  war  is  not  a  part  of  Canadian  history  ;  but  its 
results  were  of  such  vital  importance  to  us  that  the  struggle  must 
he  briefly  outlined  here.  In  1776  the  congress  at  The  colonies 
I'hiladelphia  issued  what  is  known  as  the  "  Declaration  sewes^inde"" 
of  Independence."  So  many  of  the  colonists  remained  p*"^*^"**- 
loyal  that  the  struggle  now  became  a  civil  war.  Brother  fought 
against  brother,  father  against  son.  Conspicuous  among  the 
loyalists  were  the  Iroquois,  who  were  held  faithful  to  the  Royal 
cause  by  the  influence  of  Sir  William  Johnson.  Washington  dis- 
played great  judgment  in  avoiding  pitched  battles  between  his 
untrained  militia  and  the  disciplined  forces  of  the  Crown.  By  his 
pcr-;istency  and  patience  he  gradually  drove  the  English  back 
from  point  to  point,  without  ever  defeating  them  in  the  field. 
On  Long  Island  the  English  in  fair  fight  drove  the  revolutionists 


\(jO 


A    H/STOKV   01'    CANADA. 


\    ^ 


\\\ 


H 


before  thcni,  and  might    hue   ilestroyed   the  whole   rontinental 

army  but  for  the  inertness  of  the  commander-in-chief,  l^ord  Howe. 

Howe  then  advanced  from  New  York,  defeated  Wasliington  at  the 

battle  of  the  Brandywine,  and  occupied  Philadelphia ;  where  lit- 

wintered  and  amused  himself. 

In  this  same  year  a  firce  of  about  eight  thousand  regulars,  with 

a  thousand  Indian  allies,  was  gathered  in  ('anada  under  General 

IJurgoyne.  for  the  pur[H)><e  of  asi  ending  Lake  Chamj'lain,  rapturing 

Albany,  descending  tlie  Hudson  to  New  Vork,  and  thus  cutting 

the  revohition  in  two.     The  enterprise  failed  disastrously.     The 

colonial  militia  swarmed  like  hornets  about  the  line  of 
Burgoyne's  .  , 

disaster  at       march,  shutting  off  supplies,  and  harassing  the  English 

at  every  point.  Burgoyne's  little  army  dwindled  d.iv 
by  day,  —  disease,  desertion,  and  the  bullets  of  the  sharpshooters 
eating  away  his  ranks,  till  he  had  less  than  six  thousand  men  left 
in  his  command.  He  fell  back  in  despair  on  Saratoga.  Here 
he  was  surrounded  by  General  Gates  with  a  much  superior  force, 
and  was  c(jTni)elle<l  to  surrender. 

This    was   an    overwhelming    triumph    for    the    revolutionists. 
And  now  came  the  hour  for  France.     She  hungered  to  avenge  t!ie 
defeats  of  the  last  war.     She  recognized  the  revolted  colonics  as 
an  independent  and  sovereign  state,  and  took  up  aims 
in  their  support.     England  straightway  found  herself 
involved  in  a  European  war.     Holland   thought   the 
hour  was  come  to  humiliate  her  ancient  rival.     Spain 
joined    in,  hoping  to  win  back  Gibraltar.     It  was   the   hour  for 
England's  enemies,  of  whatever  race  or  clime.     French  leaders 
and  French  sympathy  were  a  tower  of  strength  to  the  revolution- 
ists, while  yet  their  fate  hung  in  the  balance.     When  England"?; 
hands  were  thus  fettered  by  her  entanglements  in  Europe,  it  was 
clear  that  she  could  not  subdue  the  colonies.    Though  continually 
beaten  in  fair  field,  defeat  but  made  the  revolutionists  more  for- 
midable.    In  England,  too,  there  was  a  strong  party  which  bitterly 
opposed  the  war.     There  were  statesmen  of  power  and  wisdom 
who  thought  the  rebel  provinces  not  wholly  in  the  wrong,  and  who 


England 
attacked  by 
France  and 
other  Euro- 
pean powers 


YORfCTOiyX. 


191 


wished  to  lei  them  go  in  peace.  Rnt  the  King  was  obstinate. 
The  war  (bagged  on,  with  the  greatest  vimlictiveness  on  both 
sides,  but  with  no  great  a(  tions.  Lortl  Howe  resigned,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Sir  Henry  Cbnton,  who  pushed  the  war  with  more 
alacrity.  He  seized  Charleston  ;  an(i  his  lieutenlant.  Lord  Corn- 
wallis,  gaining  several  victories  in  (]uick  succession,  forced  the 
rebellion  h\  the  South  to  hide  its  head  (1781).  Soon  afterwards, 
liowever,  the  colonials  won  a  pitched  battle,  defeating  the  famous 
loyalist  leader,  Tarleton,  at  "  the  Cowpens." 

At  length  there  fell  upon  the  ICnglish  the  overwhelming  disas- 
ter of  Yorktown.  New  York  was  menaced  by  a  combined  attack 
of  French  and  revolutionists.  Cornwallis  evacuated  Charleston 
and  hastened  northward  to  help  Chnton.  Threatened  by  greatly 
superior  numbers,  he  halted  and  entrenched  himself  at  York- 
town,  on  a  nec^k  of  land  jutting  out  into  Chesapeake  Bay.  Here, 
expecting  the  arrival  of  a  British  fleet,  he  felt  himself  secure. 
Hut  the  fleet  that  came  was  that  of  France,  and  he  found  him- 
self hopelessly  entrappetl.  Four  times  outnumbering  his  own 
force,  the   l'"rench  and  American  armies  under  Rochamlteau  and 

Washington  shut   him  in  to  landward.     The   French  ^ 

^  Cornwallis 

broadsides  commanded   his  water-front.      He   could  capitulates 

.  ,  .     ,  ,^  .     ,        i      rr,,  at  Yorktown. 

Cither  starve  or  capitulate.     He  capitulated.     This  was 

the  end  of  the  struggle,  because  the  British  people  would  fight  no 
longer,  nor  suffer  the  King  to  prolong  a  war  in  which  their  hearts 
were  not  engaged. 

Any  clear  observer  could  see  that  England  was  not  beaten  by 
the  revolutionists.     But  little  of  her  vast  power   had   been    put 
forth   in  America.     That  she  was    not   exhausted  was   promptly 
shown  by  the  vigour  with  which  she  now  turned  on  England  ac- 
her  foreign  foes,  humbling  them  swiftly  by  land  and  tKde//n- 
sea.    A  tithe  of  this  obstinate  energy,  displayed  on  un°ited°*  **** 
American  fields,  must  have  crushed  even  Washington's  sutes. 
tireless  courage.     In  the  following  year  (1782)  England  acknowl- 
edged the  independence  of  the  Americans.     She  made  over  to  her 
triumphantly  rebellious  children  all  those  vast  regions  stretching 


!{' 


l  \ 


hi 


n 


iJ 


192 


.4   I// STONY   O/'    C,t.\'ADA. 


from  the  western  hoiimlaries  to  the  Pac.ifir,  —  ;i  generosity  which 
was  far  from  palatable  to  France  and  S[)am.  I'r  ince  had  hcljicd 
the  colonies,  not  for  tlie  love  she  bore  them,  bui  l)oi:ause  she 
hoped  through  them  to  cripi)lf  her  great  adversary  and  win  back 
some  portion  of  her  New  World  empire.  Hut  all  she  got  in  the 
end  was  humiliation  and  debt,  l-'rench  Canada,  prosperous  and 
fivoiired  under  IJiglish  rule,  remaineil  faidiful  to  I'lnglish  alle- 
giance ;  and  the  realm  of  the  fertile  west  was  placed  forever 
beyond  French  grasp.  The  claws  of  the  lion's  cub  were  now 
closed  u])on  that  prize  more  jealously  than  those  of  the  old  lion 
hail  ever  been. 

Canada,  after  the  repulse  of  tlie  invasion,  had  heard  but  the 
distant  mutterings  of  the  dread  storm  in  the  south.  'I'he  brave 
and  politic  governor,  Sir  (lUy  Carleton.  had  resigned  in  1777, 
seeking  active  service,  and  teeling  confident  that  the  wave  of 
war  would  not  again  break  over  tlie  Canadian  frontier.  Me  was 
Echoes  of  ttie  succeeded  by  (ieneral  Ilaldimand,  whose  harshness 
Mar?time^*'  made  him  somewhat  unpopular.  This  severity,  how- 
Provimcs.  ever,  was  not  without  wholesome  effect  on  the  rebel 
emissaries  who  sought  to  seduce  the  ('anadians  from  their  alle- 
giance. In  Nova  Scotia  such  emissaries  met  at  first  with  a 
measure  of  success.  Some  people  of  Maugerville,  on  the  St.  John 
River,  foolishly  lent  ear  to  them,  and  were  led  by  one  Colonel 
Eddy  to  make  an  attack  on  Fort  Cumberland.'  This  enterprise 
failed  ignominiously  ;  but  the  Maugervilliaiis  tried  to  console  them- 
selves by  seizing  a  brig  that  lay  in  i\v.  Missiguash.  The  prize 
was  sold  in  an  American  port.  Their  exploit,  however,  l^rought 
them  neither  glory  nor  gain  ;  for  the  government  made  them  pay 
the  owners  of  the  brig  its  full  value,  and  then  forgave  them,  with 
a  warning  tu  indulge  in  no  more  such  escapades.  The  Indians, 
too,  of  the  St.  John  River  and  the  Gulf  shore  put  on  war-i)aint 
under  persuasion  from  Boston,  and  some  of  them  took  part  in 
the  exi)edition  against  Fort  Cumberland.     But  a  mixture  of  firm- 


1  Formerly  Beaiis^jour. 


TKEATY  or   yi.KHAILI.ES. 


193 


ness,  gifts,  and  fl.ittcry  converted  them  into  loyal  siil)jo(ts.  At 
the  St.  Jolm  inoiilli,  under  the  walls  of  Fort  I''rederi(  k.  then 
without  a  garrison,  >.tO()d  a  small  fishing  settlement.  A  b.uid  of 
inirauders  from  the  port  of  Machias  in  Maine  wiped  out  botii  fort 
and  settlement.  I'he  infant  settlement  of  Charloitetown,  and  the 
coasts  of  Hay  Chaleur,  were  ravaged  by  .American  privateers. 
Many  of  these  privateers  were  mere  pirates,  without  privateering 
license,  and  their  outrages  were  sharply  comlemned  by  the  rebel 
Colonel  John  .\llan,  in  the  Massachusetts  Assembly. 

Peace  was  at  length  securetl  by  a  treaty  signed  at  Versailles  on 
Sept.  3rd,  1783.  Uy  this  treaty  Canada  suffered.  England  was 
in  a  mood  to  be  generous,  —  a  generosity  for  which  xhe  Treaty  of 
she  has  since  received  small  thanks,  —  and  this  mood  ^e"«'"» 
she  chose  to  indulge  at  some  expense  to  ( 'anada.  'I'he  rich  Ohio  val- 
ley-all the  fertile  region,  indeed,  to  the  south  of  the  Great  Lakes 
—  was  taken  from  Canada  and  given  to  the  new-born  republic. 
From  the  point  where  the  St.  Lawrence  is  crossed  by  the  45th 
piralloi,  the  southern  boundary  of  Canada  was  declared  to  lie 
along  the  mid-channel  of  the  river,  and  through  the  middle  of 
Lnkes  Ontario,  Krie,  Huron,  Superior,  ami  Lake  of  the  Woods. 
On  the  east  the  boundary  between  Nova  Scotia  and  Maine  was 
defined  to  lie  tiie  St.  Ooix  River,  with  a  "line  drawn  from  its 
source  to  the  highlands  dividing  the  waters  falling  into  the  Atlantic 
from  those  emptying  themselves  into  the  St.  Lawrence."  This 
definition  was  an  irretrievable  blunder,  permitting  Maine  to  thrust 
■\  yreat  elbow  of  alien  territory  far  up  between  Canada  and  Nova 
Scotia.  It  was  a  blunder  from  the  effects  of  which  we  suffer  to 
this  day.  The  wording,  too,  was  ignorantly  vague ;  and  from  its 
vagueness  afterwards  came  disputes  which  were  hardly  settled 
without  another  war. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


n:i 


SECTIONS: — 62,    the    Loyalists.     63,    Experiences    of    thf-. 
Loyalists   durin(;    the   Wak.     64,    the    Loyalists   in  No\a 
Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  Prince  Edward  Island.    65,  thi 
Loyalists    in    Western   Canada.      66,  Conditions   of    Lim: 
among  the  Loyalists. 


111 

Mi 


./    : 


J! 


62.    The   Loyalists. — When    England    signed   the  Treaty  of 
Versailles  (1783),  she  was  so  bent  on  being  generous  to  her  tri- 
Theioyaiists    nmphant  enemies,  that  she  failed  in  common  justice  to 
the'Trea^'of    ^^e  friends  who  had  staked  their  all  upon  her  fidelity 
Versailles.        ^^j^^^  prowess.     The  war,  made  possible  by  the  selfisli 
stupidity  of  Parliament  in  denying  to  the  colonists  the  rightb  of 
free  British  subjects,  was  a  stinging  humiliation  to  the  motherl  tnd 
before  the  eyes  of  all  peoples.     But  more  humiliating  beyond 
measure  was  the  peace  which  abandoned  the  loyalists  to  their 
fate.     The  treaty  made  no  provision   for  them,  except  that  it 
pledged  Congress  to  commend  them  to  the  kind  consideration 
of  the  various   states  !     This  clause   of  the   treaty  called  forth 
indignant  protest  both  in  the  House  of  Commons  and  in  the 
House  of  IxDrds.     Wilberforce  said,  "  When  I  consider  the  case 
of  the  loyalists,  I  confess  I  there  feel  myself  conquered ;  I  there 
see  my  country  humiliated  ;  1  see  her  at  the  feet  of  America.' 
Lord  Sackville  said,  "  A  peace  founded  on  the  sacrifice  of  thtsi 
unhappy  subjects  must  be   accursed  in   the   sight  of  God  and 
man."    The  worried  government,  however,  pleaded  harsh  necessity. 
In  piteous  tones  they  protested  —  "  We  had  but  the  alternative 
either  to  accept  the  terms  proposed,  or  continue  the  war."    Hut 
the  honour  of  England  demanded  that  her  last  penny  should  hi 

194 


I  I 


spent,  her  last  sword  shatterp,!  •  ^^ 

tT  '"=  -'  ^o"-'  ^y  e^::    ,•  "toT^"-  f -^  fo.oo.  .Hose 
wh.rt,  as  we  shall  presemly  see    she  1,  ?'  ™™Pensations 

io)al,sts,  were  only  ,l,e  late  rendering  o,"™*  «""'""^  '°  ">= 

I""  'lie  destiny  that  -ov  eri  7,    *      "  •"•■""""  >"'''"■ 
I.  was  decreed  that  of  ttern  a  „"  "iT,  "1  "°""'"8  '"«'".  ends, 
nation  to  .nheri.  the  northern!  fo  ''this     """  "'°'"''  '''  ""ilt  a 
..on  of  the  loyalists  will  so.ne  dav  1 1  .r,"""'"''    '^''^  ™'8- 
of  those  movemenls  whie),  Inve  rh  ■'Wognized  as  one 

It  will  be  acknowledged  1    ot  less  Tr"'  ™'"^'=  °' ^-^<"y 
".  "^  results  than  the  landi,  ""f  the  >T     T  ""'  '—chins 
0...  detracting  from  the  achlevl   '„     f '"'  ^'"''"'-     ^°''  "'h- 
feilow-citieens,  who  have  mould  h  ""  ''""^^''  T..„, 

"  fa  b„t  truth  .0  say  that  the  Un' ed  /'"     T"""'  S"'»'- 
»ere  the  makers  of  Canad        °""','^"'P"^  loyalists  '"•• 
Jhirty  thousand  people,  of  Vhe  c  ol.:™':!'' '°  ?"'  "''''''"'  ^•»'« 
boas,.    They  were  an  army  of  leader "       .  '°'°"'"^  '""W 

wh.ch  attracted  the  hate  of  the  evoin;-  "     "'  ""^  '°"'«'  ''^^ds 
'"li'Klges,  the  most  distir.guted  tClh    ™'  ■"°^'  """■"- 
P'omtncn.  physicians,  the  most  LlhT',        '"°^"=-^f«We  and 
'he  .nembers  of  council   of  the       '^        ""'"^  "'  "«=  '^'"gy 
officials,  people  of  culture  and    „     rTf'"'™'"'  *'  ^>«" 
e  J,,th,-„l  few  whose  fortunes  ti°'  ^"''™' - '''^-.  -ith 
M«,y  „f  thera  would  „e.,,  ha  e  co  '^'.r'  ""'  '"^  '°>'^««- 
«=8  of  the  new  republic.     „^"  l''"^""'     '°  *'^»  ""der  the 
of 'he  war,  would  have  forced  Z^'  r""'""  '^^  "''■'^'O" 
(."■ernment;  bu,  for  having  .Imai'!^" '°  '"^"'  "'»»  'he  ...... 

'hey  were  hounded  to  the  death  a   t^>  '''  *"■■  ="''^8iance 

e'.'Wude  indeed  to  her  southern  .,  "^     ^^"^'^^  ""'es  deep 

•0  Georgia,  picked  out  ftei   ch  Lrs""";  """  ""'^'  '™"  ^-''e 
'0  people  our  northern  wilds  '^  '"'  ""''  «''''  ">em  ,'c«h 

„nder  the  Crown,  trouble  of TuL       "  "f  '^^  "'"'=''  *^T 
0"'break  of  the  war.     This  was  e  .t  1  'r^^'  ' '"«  '"  ^"e  the 

.-  'ally  the  ca,.,.  i-  ;,(as,sachu- 


196 


A   niHTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\ 


\\\ 


7  S I 


setts,  where  indignant  patriots  i)rove(i  their  patriotism  by  burn- 
ing Governor  Hutchinson's  mansion,  mobbing  sheriffs  and  judges, 
The  people  driving  feeble  old  men  into  the  woods,  and  hea])iiig 
before'uie  ^''"^  insuhs  upon  the  wives  and  daughters  of  otiliri  s. 
'*'*''  Where  the  violence  was  directed  merely  against  Cruwn 

officers  in  the  act  of  enforcing  ol>noxious  statutes,  of  course  nuu  h 
allowance  must  be  made.  When  collectors  of  the  tea-duty,  m 
officers  executing  the  Stamp  Act,  were  tarred  and  feathered,  sue  h 
ebullitions  may  be  regarded  as  merely  an  energetic  form  of  pro- 
test. But  the  violence  of  protest  soon  deepened  into  the  violence 
of  persecution.  On  the  ai)proach  of  war  the  line  between  the 
loyalists  and  revolutionists  widened  to  a  gulf  of  hate.  Many  of 
the  loyalists  could  not  have  been  other  than  loyal,  because  their 
sense  of  duty  forbade  them  to  rebel,  although  they  were  ready 
enough  to  seek  redress  of  grievances  in  a  constitutional  wav. 
Yet  others  again,  divided  in  their  sympathies,  not  certain  as  to 
the  right  course,  or  merely  averse  to  the  miseries  of  war,  hesi- 
tated. But  all  these  alike,  in  the  eyes  of  the  revolutionary  party, 
were  traitors.  The  word  "  iraitor  "  was  ])ut  to  a  novel  use  when  it 
was  applied  to  the  loyalists. 

The  loyalists,  in  turn,  were  not  backward  in  retorting  the  same 
vigorous  epithet  upon  the  revolutionists.     In  those  districts  where 

they  were  heavilv  outnumbereil,  they  were  compelled 
The  loyalists  ■'  '         j  i 

inNewEng-    to  seek  safety  with  the   King's  troops.      They  were 

beaten  and  plundered,  their  estates  conhscaled,  nnil 

themselves  banished  under  penalty  of  death.     When  Gage  evacii 

ated  Boston,  out-generalled  by  Washington  at  the  very  beginning 

of  the  war,  he  took  with  him  hundreds  of  loyal  citizens,  who  dareil 

not  trust  their  lives  to  the  men  of  Massachusetts.     It  has  heen 

well  asked    by  a  distinguished   writer,   "  Were  not  the   loyalists 

Americans,  and  did  not  their  wrongs  exceed  any  of  those  done  to 

Americans  by  the  King?"     Iv.en  the  wives  of  the  English  and 

German  officers  captured  with  Biirgoyne's  army  at  Saratoga  were 

subjected  to  gross  insult  during  tlieir  captivity  in  Boston. 

Where,  as  was  the  case  in  i)arts  of  the  South,  the  population 


}     i 


SUFFEKIA'GS   OF   THE   LOYALISTS. 


197 


was  fairly  divided  between  loyalist  and  revolutionist,  the  fight 
was  waged  with  intense  ferocity,  and  dreadful  barbarisms  were 
practise  1  on  both  sides.  In  some  districts  the  tw(j  tactions  threat- 
ened to  exterminate  each  other.  Noted  partisan  leaders  arose, 
like  Tarleton  on  the  loyal  side,  Marion  on  what  was  The  loyalists 
now  called  the  "continental"  side.  Adventurous  i°t»»e South. 
chiefs  like  these  gathered  troops  of  followers  who  smarted  to 
avenge  either  public  or  private,  renl  or  fancied,  wrongs  ;  and  a 
vindictive  guerilla  warfare  was  waged.  Each  side  did  cruel  out- 
rage in  the  name  of  the  cause  which  it  held  sacred. 

When  at  length  peace  was  declared,  terrilile  was  the  case  of  the 
vamiuished.  Peace  should  sheathe  the  sword  and  bring  forgetful- 
ness  of  vengeance ;  but  this  peace  meant  the  opportunity  of  the 
victors.  It  was  followed  by  barbarities  which  put  an  ineffaceable 
stain  on  the  sliield  of  the  young  republic.      At  the 

time  of  the  evacuation  of  New  York  Sir  Ouy  Carleton  comes  at  last 

to  the  rescue, 
conunanded  the  hnglish  forces  in  .America  ;  and  feel- 
ins^  bitterly  the  desertion  of  the  loyalists,  he  sent  several  thousands 
of  them  away  in  the  King's  ships.  But  of  the  great  numbers  lying 
lievond  the  reach  of  Carleton's  care  many  were  put  to  ignominious 
(loath.  Scourging,  ducking,  tarring  and  feathering,  proscription, 
and  baii'«  n».. .,"  were  the  fate  that  fell  to  the  remainder.  The 
jtate  j.'overnn  oijts  deliberately  plundered,  and  drove  out  in  abject 
Ijov.  .;>,  m^  i  guilty  of  nothing  but  fair  fight  in  a  lawful  cause. 
At  Ciiarle.  o.i,  when  the  King's  troops  sailed  away,  the  spectacle 
t!i:it  greeted  their  backward  gaze  was  one  that  F'nglish  cheeks 
must  blush  to  think  of.  The  bodies  of  twenty-four  loyaUsts, 
abandoned  to  their  foes  by  the  country  they  had  fought  for,  swung 
from  a  row  of  gibbets  on  the  wharf.  It  is  not  civilization,  but  blind 
barbarism,  that  takes  such  vengeance  upon  the  conquered.  Men 
like  Washington,  Hamilton,  Jay,  and  (rreene,  jealous  for  the  honour 
of  tlieir  cause,  protested,  but  in  vain.  At  length  the  cry  that  went 
up  frcr.  tiie  suffering  loyalists  grew  so  bitter  that  England  tardily 
gave  tv-'r, 
Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  the  chief  mover  in  the  work  of  rescue ; 


*  i  'I 


III 


"■''r.ay.''B"«'wi  n\i  im 


If 


I  1.; 


f     ! 

^^^f 


198 


^    HIS  TORY   OF  CANADA. 


but  Governor  Haldimand  in  Quebec  and  Governor  Parr  in  Nova 
Scotia  lent  effective  aid.  It  was  decided  that  tlie  refugees  should 
be  settled  in  western  Canada,  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  on  the  Island 
of  St.  John  \  that  they  should  be  given  grants  of  land  according 
to  their  rank  and  standing,  in  extent  from  one  hundred  acres  up 
to  several  thousand  \  and  that  they  should  be  fed  by  the  govern- 
ment, till  their  lands  should  begin  to  make  return.  'I'he  loyalists 
of  the  Atlantic  coast  ^  chered  in  the  seaport  towns,  where  sh  os 
were  speedily  providei'  ''ts,  dwelling  inland,  were  direct  d 
to  make  their  rendezvous  '  N'iagara,  Sackett's  Harbour,  Oswego, 
and  the  foot  of  Lake  Champlain.  In  the  year  1783  the  great 
exodus  took  place,  and  the  loyalists  flocked  across  the  border 
into  the  land  which  they  and  their  descendants  have  made  great. 
'I'hey  divided  into  two  main  streams,  one  moving  eastward  to  the 
Maritime  Provinces,  the  other  flowing  westward  to  the  region 
north  of  the  l^akes. 

64.  The  Loyalists  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  Prince 
Edward  Island.  —  In  St.  John,  New  Ikunswick,  the  i8th  day  of 
The  founding  ^^'^y  i^  celebrated  as  the  natal  day  of  the  city.  i)n 
and  r>he^°  that  day,  1783,  took  place  the  Landing  of  the  I,oyal- 
burne.  j^j.^^     'pj^g  mouth  of  the  St.  John  River  is  a  secure 

haven,  but  fenced  about  with  grim  and  sterile  hills  which  belie  the 
fertile  country  lying  inland.  Mither  came  the  ships  of  the  refugees 
from  New  York,  and  all  through  the  summer  they  continued  to 
arrive.  At  the  harbour  mouth  they  built  a  city  which  they  called 
Pan  town,  in  honour  of  Nova  Scotia's  governor.  Many  went  on 
thrcjugh  the  rocky  defile  of  the  Narrows,  and  spread  up  the  beau- 
tiful shores  of  the  great  river  a  distance  of  eighty-four  miles,  to 
St.  Anne's  Point.  Five  thousand  loyalists  came  to  the  St.  John 
during  this  memorable  aummer.  These  were,  for  the  most  part, 
ofificers  and  men  of  ilisbanded  regiments  who  had  fought  bravely 
for  the  King,  —  among  them  the  famous  Queen's  Rangers, — and 
their  temper  toward  the  Maugerville  settlers,  who  were  known  to 
have  sympathized  with  the  rebels,  was  by  no  means  friendly.  The 
Maugerville  settlers  were  known  as  the  "  old  inhabitants."    Where 


^/^^^  BJ^CWsmCA'  A.VJ,    CAPI. 


^^'/rro^v. 


199 


these  "old  inhabitants  "roMM   i,  '  '99 

-..re  ,•  „„.  in  oeher  ^as::!    e";;:'"  '"  '''"  '-'■'.  '^ey  .e.e 
ioyal,s,.,  wen.  very  ready    o  sele  7"'  '""  ''"""•■oming.  Ure 

>  h.le  the  St.  John  River  vallev  Z  T    T"'  '"  '"'>"'^- 
|-e..er.,,andabusyc,tyri.ng  7,;";'"':  """■«  "P  -th  strong 
bands  ,vent  to  Nova  Scotia    an     to   !     r'"",""'' ""^^ '"r-^l.^t 
wLich  st,il  bore  the  name  o    St    iL!    ,  '"""^  ^..If  prov.nce 
meadows  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  water    "h!        ","•     °"  ""^  «"»' 
»"<!  along  the  Atlantic  coast  to  e "      ?  '  "'"'  "'  »'ebv 

great  settlement  was  made  a   P^rtRr    ""?"'"  ^   ''"'  ''-> 
"er  of  the  peninsula.     Here  was  ,  '     "  ""^  ^o'.th-west  cor- 

»i..*  captivated  the  exile,     2  I     "^       ■'"''  '^"'"°<=l<ed  harl,o„r 
""  "^  *'-  ^  city  of  twelve  tho^r,"  ',"  f  .'"'■""  "--  »Prang   p 
"..."e  0  .Shelhnrne.     „„,  „,,  ^^t^r^T"''  ^'''^  '""^'"^ 
".I  "othn,,  hnt  its  h.rb„„r.    The  co  ,  ,       K     ''"'™-     ''"''^'•"'^ 
here  w,.s  „o,hi„g  ,„  „„„„,,  ,  ,„Vn""""-",''™"  i'  was  not  fertile. 
So'he  CUV  which  had  sprung  IIZ^'T"  T'  '""  P^^ension. 
■v.  hered  as  i,  were  in  a  dav.     ifs    eol'^""       '"  "  ''"«''  "'«*''. 
»'her  parts  of  the  province,'  some  ev""  ''""""''  '"  "••'"f^  '"d 
»<1  westward  to  the  f,,,,'  rZn     'Ifd''*  "''  "'^  «'•  '--cnce 
!'"«"""■  '■"""■'..tio,.  Shelburne  had  .h      ,',"  I    "'  ''"'  ''""^  >'^ 
'"-".c  cases  the  vcrvhousesof, Ins  «''■■     '°  '  '"'"'  ""^'8^. 
-.'carried  away,  ,o  be  set  up  Igan  ,,  v?  "''  '^''^ ''''"  "»™ 
rb;  loyalists  of  the  .St.  Joh„  r1  e;  we     '"°"^'  °'  *^'''""""".- 
ey  de„„„,,,,  representat  on  at  H. , ;:;"»  '""""  "'"'"  "'» 
by  (.overnor  Parr  thev  at  once  4h.'  e^  'r         ''"'  "''^  '™»  ^cf"»ed 
'"«■■     '»  spite  of  ,he  govenro'f      ''     '  ^  ''"''^'™  "fhe  prov- 
'  cy  had  strong  friends  M  E^d  P'"t'"""  ''''  '™'  8™.ed,  or 
;*»™  »f  her  great  territorv  t^tbe  n'or  H    f"  ,"  ''*  """"^  ^^'''^  -s 
""d.v.    This  region  was  erected  Zth        '  "'^  °'  -  b™„..         , 
•^eif  Bnin,swiclt   with  r-  i       ,       '"'"  "le  Prov  nee  of  ^I'tnT 

'■">-3  brother,  ';  U   've  '^'°™^^  '•"'«""-  «-  -'-S'^ 

-»cil  of  ,we  4       Xr?a"t    "'  ""  ■"^'^'«'  l^y  a  SSr" 


TTT^ 


^P"'M«V*> 


200 


./    HISTORY  OF  C AX  ADA. 


1    f 


n 


i  « 


separate  province,  under  Major  Desbarres  as  governor;  and  Us 

capital  was  removed  from  Louisburf;  to  the  new  town  of  Sydney. 

About  eight  hundred  loyalists  moved  into  Caj)e  Breton,  settling 

at  Sydney,  Louisburg,  St.   Peter's,  and   liaddeck,  where  during 

their  first  winter  they  suffered  terribly  from  storm  and  famine. 

The  existence  of  Cape  Kreton  as  a  separate  province  was  brief. 

In  1820,  as  we  shall  see,  it  was  reabsorbed  in  Nova  Scotia. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  New  lirunswick,  Farrtown  was 

incorporated  as  a  city,  and  its  name  was  changeil   to  St.  John. 

„  ,  ,  Two  years  later  ( 1786)  the  capital  was  removed  to  St. 
Fredericton  •  <     /       /  i 

made  the  Anne's  Point,  eighty-four  miles  up  the  river,  wliere  the 
capital  of  1      ^     J  I 

New  Bruns-  city  of  Fredericton  was  built.  The  main  object  of  this 
wick 

removal  was  greater  security  from  attack,  the  object 

which  Villclj -ii,  too,  had  sought  when  he  removed  thither  from 
Port  Royal.  It  was  also  the  governor's  purpose  to  esca[)e  from 
the  distract'"  13  o*'  "  stirring  commercial  centre,  which  St.  John 
very  rapidly  became.  The  province  of  New  Brunswick,  like  its 
mightier  sister  Ontario,  was  thus  peculiarly  a  child  of  the  loyal- 
ists. It  is  estimated  that  the  loyalist  migration  brought  not  less 
than  twenty  thousand  people  into  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick, 
and  l^rince  Edward  Island.  In  New  Brunswick  the  new-comers  so 
overwhelmingly  outnumbered  the  old  inhabitants  that  they  gave 
their  own  character  and  t)  pe  to  the  whole  province. 

65.    The   Loyalists  in  Western   Canada.  —  Iruo   the   work  of 

finding   western   homes   for    the    loyalists   (Governor    ITildimand 

of  Canada  threw  himself  with  fervour.     As  we  have  seen,  most 

of  the   loyalists  of  the  seaboard    went    to  Nova    Scotia  ;   but  a 

P'5'"'^'on  of  this   eastern  stream   flowed   on   into   the 

and  districts  Crulf  and  turned  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  Some  of 
occupied  by  .    '  . 

the  western  these  widc-wanderiug  immigrants  staved  their  course 
loyalists.  .  , 

at  Sorel,  a  few  miles  below  Montreal.     The  greater 

number,  however,  went  on  to  the  vast  unpeopled   spaces  about 

Fort   Frontenac.     These   pioneers  of  what   is  now  our   premier 

province,  the  great   commonwealth   of  Ontario,  were   led   by  a 

sturdy  loyalist  of  the  Hudson,  named  Grass,  whose  father,  hav 


IH 


•'■"1   Og,le,„|,„r„       .,,.        "y  ';'V  of  Oswego,  Sacketfs  Harl,n, 
-J  ..ccpie.,  ^n   .h      ,„ ;      „™;-'-'   'ook   place  "t"' 
w«.er„  fringe  of  „,e  ,„  g"  "  "  ;''°^.^  "^  '-ke  Ontario.     ',1,1' 
.S>.«|uehann..,l,   vaile,,   „,  f,:'™  ™"^"^'^d  of  fa,„i|i«   f„,„    ,  ! 
;-^^^  '•>.<■  a.  ,.  .,,-,„;';;>„°    ;;^on.   „or.«,   ,He,  .,,  ^..'.J: 

l*"'  ''•^''  S'"h«ed  a.  Xia,,„^      ''    ^  ^t.  Cla.r.     Tl,e  refngees 

"ong  the  Niagara  River  and  ZI^L^?'   """    f'"M"Mand; 
"hence   they  .p,,a,l   westwlT  '  '"^"'^  "^  ''■''ke  On.ario 

'"*-"  '-ie  and  Hnro,  T '  v  'r*'"',  '^=  "-'-"'a  .ha  tj 
"^<  of  ,his  i„,,„d  „i„,,  „„  ,  "">  !?"''>"•  of  Canada.     On    he 

%  Urn  most  accessible  pona,  et    '    "     ""  "'"  '"'^1'  of  a™  ef 
"ra«».s- Germans  ofT       'p^iTr  "'  ""  """-»  «^  " 
ohnsons  disbanded  "  R„va|  G !„  '  '      >'  ,*'"«'-"'^  Sir  John 
so  fn.hlully  adhered  ,o  t'he  fom,    '  "'"  '^'"'"'"'l'''  "ho  h-n 

Krea.  chief,  Joseph  Bran,.         °""""  "'  '"^  Crown,  nnde/.h. 

Many  of  these   went  on  ,      ■ 
a-  '-awrence  shore  between  For'Vr?  """  "°"''  =«'l'ng  the 
ohers,  dreading  the  long  iourne'  ^  H    ^'^  """  Montreal;  b« 
of  the  remoter  wilderness    ,TZ  ""^  """-^Wps  ^,  „ 

-  -  .hey  found  reLCt;  b"^''  f'«'"  ^  ^^"^ 
Pfeasan.  conntry  between  the  A Jri        f""   "■"   ""^d"-     The 
r^wrence  settlements  „a,  d,l   fi,  T"  ''°'"'"  »"  ">e  old  St 

-tdist'  "°"  "™'-^  '^'^  '■'      ow™     .;?h:P    '  '•""«  ""P"'- 
a  d  s,,nct,vely  lingii.h  section  of  the  I       f"""  townships," 

'«■    ^rhat  all   the  inland  loyal  si    *'.' ,'^''""'''  Province  of  Qu; 

»ns^.ps  is  due  to  .wo  fac  f  iV'h    T^I  '"  "'  ^^-'-n 

,"''  ''""  "ained  to  self.governmem       .    '  P''«'  ""e  loyalists 

^eerectton  of  a  new  provLewiTh     '  '       """'"'"^  '«>l<ed   to 

^--  ^-  *ose  eLbhshldr  Canr bfr  o"  T  ^^ 

'J/  tne  Quebec  Act. 


20J 


./    HISTORY   or  CAXAD.l. 


\l\ 


!  ? 


\  in 


H 


!M 


r  ' 


In  the  second  place,  Governor  Ilaldimand  discouraged  settle- 
ment along  the  frontier,  dreading  a  continuance  of  the  American 
intrigues  which  had  already  caused  him  so  much  trouble. 

It  is  estimated  that  not  fewer  than  ten  thousand  loyali>is 
came  into  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  districts  during  the  great 

migration.     This  number  includes  what  are  known  as 
Numbers  and  ° 

iniiuence  of  the  "  Later  l^oyalists,"  who  came  in  after  the  pioneers 
the  loyalists.  \  ,        ,. 

had   opened   the   way.       Ihese   later   loyalists   were 

peo])le  who,  through  prudence  or  weakness,  had  made  liienv 
selves  less  obnoxious  to  the  revolutionists  aid  had  therefore 
been  allowed  to  stay  in  the  new  republic.  Their  hearts,  how- 
ever, had  clung  to  the  old  flag.  The  first  coiners  were  of  the 
sturdier  stock,  and  more  uncompromising  in  their  views.  To 
them  belongs  the  greater  glory.  The  majority  of  them  were 
members  of  loyal  colonial  regiments  which  had  fought  with  tire- 
less tenacity  through  the  war  :  and  when,  nearly  a  generation 
later,  war  broke  o'!t  between  England  and  the  American  states, 
they  and  their  sons  proved  that  the  warlike  fire  had  not  been 
suffered  to  perish.  To  this,  as  we  shall  see,  the  records  of  the 
war  of  1 8 1 2-1 4  hear  witness.  As  the  history  of  Canada  unfolds,  we 
shall  mark  henceforth  the  mighty  influence  of  the  thirty  thousand 
exiles  who  crossed  our  borders  in  those  eventful  years.  As  we 
watch  the  destiny  of  this  people  taking  sha[)e,  we  shall  be  forceii 
to  realize  that  the  hands  most  potent  in  shai:>ing  it  are  the  han'is 
of  the  sons  of  the  loyalists. 

66.  Conditions  of  Life  among  the  Loyalists.  —  From  1783  to 
1790  the  British  government  kept  commissioners  at  work  iiKjnir- 
The  United  '"§  ^^'^^^^  ^^^'^  claims  of  the  loyalists,  and  granting 
Empire  List.  j-he,ii  partial  indemnity  for  the  losses  which  they 
had  sustained  in  the  war.  The  total  amount  paid  out  l)y  (Ireat 
Britain  in  this  way  was  nearly  ^15,000,000.  which  does  not  in- 
clude the  value  of  the  general  land  grants,  implements,  and  sup- 
plies of  food  which  were  issued.  In  many  sections  the  loyalists 
were  fed  on  government  rations  for  three  years  after  their  arrival. 
The  sons  of  the  loyalists,  on  coming  of  age,  were  entitled  to  cer- 


:   i 


MILLS  AND   FOOD. 


203 


tain  grants  and  privileges.  In  17S9,  therefore,  was  compiled  that 
roll  <f  honour  known  as  the  United  Empire  List,  consisting  of 
the  names  of  all  the  loyalists  who  had  lied  out  of  the  republic 
duriii)^  the  previous  six  years.  These  were  to  be  known  thence 
forward  as  the  United  Empire  Loyalists.  After  their  names  they 
were  entitled  to  place  the  letters  L'.  E.  L. 

Among  the  supplies  granted  to  the  faithful  immigrants  were 
tools  for  building  their  houses  and  implements  for  cleanng  and 
tilling  their  lands.  To  each  pioneer  family  were  MiUsand 
given  a  plough  and  a  cow.  A  few  of  the  settlements  ^^'^ 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  receive  portable  mills  for  the  grinding 
of  their  grain.  The  greater  number  of  the  pioneers,  however, 
in  Upjier  Canada  at  least,  had  no  such  luxuries  as  mills.  Their 
grain  was  chiefly  Indian  corn  and  wild  rice.  These  they  crushed 
between  .stones,  or  with  an  axe ;  and  with  the  broken  stuff  they 
made  :i  rough  bread.  But  this  clumsy  process  was  soon  super- 
seded by  the  "  Hominy  Block,"  —  a  hard-wood  stump,  with  a 
large  hollow  burned  in  the  top  of  it.  In  this  hollow  the  grain 
was  pounded  with  a  great  wooden  rammer  or  '*  plumper."  Some- 
times a  hominy  block  was  large  enough  to  hold  a  bushel  or  two 
of  grain  at  a  time  ;  and  in  such  case  the  grinding  was  done  by 
a  stone  with  a  heavily  weighted  "  sweep,"  or  long  pole,  attached 
to  it.  Of  course,  as  prosperity  advanced  these  primitive  con- 
trivances were  soon  set  aside,  and  grist-mills  took  their  place. 

As  the  settlers  felled  the  great  trees  which  covered  their  do- 
mains, they  used  the  logs  to  build  their  cabins  and  their  barns. 
.Such  sawed  lumber  as  they  absolutely  required  they  got  out 
laboriously  with  the  **  whip  saw "  and  "  cross-cut."  Many  of 
these  men  were  quite  new  to  the  use  of  axe  and  saw.  Not 
a  few  had  been  accustomed  to  life  in  social  centres ;  but  now 
they  made  their  homes  in  harshest  isolation.  Often  miles  of 
savage  forest  severed  them  from  their  nearest  neighbours.  They 
had  been  used  to  snug  cottages,  well-stored  roomy  farmhouses, 
or  perhaps  to  tliose  stately  old  colonial  mansions  wherein  reigned 
a  hospitality  all  but  princely.     Now  they  betook  themselves  to 


204 


A   ///SyOA'V   O/'-   ClXAD.t. 


1.    y 


\    \ 


:    4 

w 


I 


i    u 


Furniture. 


a  log  dwelling,  often  with  but  one  room  and  one  window.     Its 

roof  would  he  mere  sheets  of  hark  stretched  on  a  layer  of  poles; 

its  chinks  would  be  stuffed  with  moss  and  day  to 
Houses.  ^ 

keep  out  the  wind.  'I'heir  ihiumeys  ;it  first  wcie 
perilous  structures  of  sticks  and  clay.  As  soon  as  possible,  how- 
ever, they  reproduced  the  ample  chimneys  of  their  former  dwell- 
ings, built  of  rough  stone  or  coarse  and  ill-shaped  brick ;  and 
thousands  of  such  chimneys  stand  to  this  day,  occui)ying  a  hugely 
disproportionate  space  in  the  houses  which  they  both  serve  and 
dominate. 

Into  these  rude  first  dwellings  of  the  loyalists  came  some  ani- 
cles  of  luxury,  brought  from  rich  homes  on  the  Suscjuehannah,  the 
Huilson,  or  the  Connecticut.  To-day  the  sons  of  the 
loyalists  point  with  pride  to  tall,  old  clocks,  to  time- 
stained  chairs  and  "  secretaries,"  that  have  shared  the  changed 
fortunes  of  their  ancient  owners  and  withstood  the  rough  journey 
from  the  world  into  the  wilderness.  In  most  cases,  however,  little 
was  saved  from  the  angry  rexolutionists,  and  that  little  could  not 
be  taken  over  the  forest  trails.  Some  of  the  loyalist  cabins  had  no 
furniture  but  a  bed,  made  of  four  poles  with  strips  of  basswood 
biirk  woven  between  them.  The  toil  of  clearing  and  i)laiuiiig 
i^oiuctimes  left  no  time  for  the  construction  of  luxuries  like  chairs 
and  tables.  To  stave  off  actual  fimine  took  all  the  settler's  ener- 
gies. In  parts  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  lirunsv^ick,  of  course, 
where  the  way  was  already  opened  up  by  older  settlers,  the  new- 
comers had  less  hardship  to  endure ;  but  by  far  the  greater  i)ot- 
tion  of  the  country  allotted  to  the  loyalists  was  remote  and 
unbroken  wilderness. 

In  the  subduing  of  this  wilderness  the  loyalists  were  not  at  first 
convincingly  successful.  Many  of  them,  as  we  have  seen,  were  by 
The  Hungry  "«  means  fitted  for  the  life  into  which  they  had  been 
^^"  so    harshly  thrust.      In    1787,  just  when   they  wore 

being  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  by  the  government,  the 
stubborn  soil  rebelled  against  its  new  masters  and  the  crops 
on  all  sides  failed.     This  was  in  the  Lake  region.     Though  the 


THE   IIVNGNY    \1:AR. 


JO5 


;;()vcrntuent  had  only  undertaken  to  feed  the  immigrants  for  three 
vears,  some  of  the  more  shiftless  among  them  had  made  no  pro- 
vision for  the  rime  when  this  help  would  cease.  Others,  who  had 
done  their  best,  had  yet  been  imfortiinate  in  the  battle  with  Irost 
and  wild  beasts.  The  following  year,  17<S<S,  was  one  of  the  bitter- 
est jirivation,  till  a  good  harvest  ended  the  anguish.  Its  memory 
( oines  down  to  us  under  the  name  of  the  "  Himgry  Year."  I'Ik,' 
people  had  to  dig  those  wild,  tuberous  roots  which  children  know 
as  "ground-nuts."  Hutternuts  and  Ihhm  hurts  were  sought  with 
eager  pains.  Men  sold  their  farms  fur  a  little  flour,  <>r  even  the 
coarsest  bran.  The  early  bud^  of  the  basswood  were  ;.;atliere(l  and 
boiled,  with  the  weed  calleil  "  lamb's  ([iiarter,'  and  i)igweed,  and 
the  wild  "  Indian  cabbage."  (lanie  of  all  sorts  was  fairly  abun- 
dant,—  deer,  rabbits,  turkeys,  [tigeons  ;  but  powder  and  shot  were 
scarce.  (Jaunt  men  crejit  abo'it  with  poles,  striving  to  knock 
down  thi'  wild  pigeons;  or  they  angled  all  day  with  awkward, 
hoiue-maile  hooks  for  a  few  chub  or  perch  to  keep  their  families 
from  starvation.  In  one  settlement  a  beef-bone  was  passed  from 
house  to  house,  that  each  household  might  boil  it  a  little  while  and 
so  get  a  flavour  in  the  pot  of  unsalted  bran  soup.  A  few  of  the 
weak  and  aged  actually  died  of  starvation  during  these  famine 
months ;  and  others  were  poisoned  by  eating  no.xious  roots  which 
they  grubbed  up  in  the  woods.  As  the  summer  wore  on,  however, 
t!ie  heads  of  wheat,  oats,  and  barley  began  to  grow  j^lump. 
I'eople  gathered  hmigrily  to  the  fields,  to  pluck  and  devour  the 
green  heads.  Hoiled,  these  were  a  luxury  ;  and  hope  stole  back 
to  the  starving  settlements. 

Hut  this  year  had  marked  the  climax  of  their  trials  ;  and  thence- 
forward the  loyalists  of  Upper  Canada  made  swift  prog'-^ss.     At 
the  very  beginning  they  had   realized    the   value  of      .,;  .'and 
cooperation  \  and  instead  of  each  man  painfully  level-   "*'°''" 
ling  his  own  patch  of  forest,  hauling  his  own  logs,  building  his  own 
meagre  cabin,  a  system  of  "  frolics  "  or  "  bees  "  '  was  instituted. 

'  The  word  "  frolic"  seemed  the  more  in  favour  throughout  the  provinces  by 
tilt;  sea,  while  around  the  lakes  "  bee  "  was  the  accepted  term. 


t 

I 


206 


A    f/iSrOA'V  Or    CANADA. 


\ 


I 


h 


, 

There  were  "  choppin.;  frolics"  ami  "  biiiKlmu  bees."  I,;ittr, 
wlicti  the  cleared  fields  beg m  to  yield  generous  crojjs,  and  thr 
frauie-liouse  little  by  little  lack  the  pLiee  of  the  log-rabin  or 
shanty  then  came  "  husking  bees  "  and  "  framing  bees."  When 
a  new  homestead  was  to  be  riisetl,  along  the  raw  ro;ids  .uid 
"bla/ed"  trails  the  men  of  the  townships  came  llr)cking  to  the 
neiglibourly  task.  On  such  occasions  (when  once  the  first  hard 
years  were  over),  there  was  free  mirth  and  rough  but  wholesoijie 
al)undance.  The  daring  of  wolves  .md  bears  made  pork,  mutton, 
and  beef  all  too  scan  e ;  but  venison  anil  wild  turke)s  were  on 
hand  ;  with  pies  of  wild  fruit,  and  [)yramids  of  smoking  ( orn- 
bieail  or  "  johna\-cake."  \  delicacy  much  favoured  at  these  fes- 
tivities was  known  ;is  "  pumpkin-cake,"  which  consisted  of  a 
mixture  of  boiled  pumpkin  and  corn  meal,  sweeteneil  with  niapl- 
sugar,  spiced,  and  l»aked.  Or  it  ws  made  without  sweetening, 
and  eaten  with  butter.  At  such  festivals,  as  at  ordinary  times, 
the  spoons  and  dishes  used  were  generally  of  wood,  —  the  white 
fine-grained  wood  of  the  poplar  lieing  preferred  for  the  purpose. 
J-ittle  by  little  these  wooden  utensils  were  replaced  by  pewter, 
wlnrh  came  to  the  pioneer's  door  in  the  packs  of  occasional 
Yankee  ped<ilers.  This  pewter,  umier  much  scouring,  was  made 
to  shine  like  silver. 

Long  after  our  loyalist  flithers  had  learned  to  satisfy  their 
robust  appetites  with  generous  and  varied  backwoods  fare,  their 
dress  kept  its  primitive  simplicity.  At  first,  of  course, 
they  had  the  onlinary  costumes  of  the  pre-Revolution 
time,  which  they  brought  with  them.  These,  in  the  case  of  die 
wealthier  classes,  were  quite  too  gorgeous  and  elaborate  for  wear 
in  the  woods.  The  men  would  outshine  the  most  daz/ling  belle 
of  our  more  sober  day.  Imagine  a  Robinson,  a  VanAlstine,  a 
Delaneey,  dressed  in  a  wide-flapping  fro('k-coat  of  blue  damask 
lined  with  velvet,  white  satin  waistcoat,  black  satin  tight  knee- 
breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  and  red  morocco  slippers  with  huge 
silver  buckles  covering  the  whole  instep  ;  —  or  in  a  i)ea-green  coat, 
white  silk  vest,  and  yellow  nankeen  knee-breeches,  with  garter- 


Clothing,  etc. 


l.OYAUST  DRKSS. 


207 


haws  "lingling  to  the  ankles.  l'frliai)s  tor  informal  oc.tasions 
the  loyahst  gentry  wouUl  he  content  with  stockings  of  some  dark 
hue,  and  wide-skirted  coat  of  snuff-colour,  bottle-green,  or  claret. 
Certain  it  is,  however,  that  luo^i  of  the  loyalists  had  small  choice 
in  the  matter  of  i  lothes  after  tiiey  had  been  a  year  or  two  in  the 
new  land.  As  speedily  as  pcjssible  tlax  and  hem|<  were  grown,  and 
tiie  clacking  loom  became  an  institution  in  every  settler's  cabin. 
Coarse  linen  was  woven  ;  and  blankets  of  hemp  mixed  with  iiair 
from  hides.  Hut  wool  was  long  a  scarce  article,  owing  to  the 
fondness  of  Canadian  wolves  for  loyalist  sheep.  Many  of  the 
poorer  men,  and  women  too,  wore  nothing  but  dressed  deerskins, 
whi(  h  proved  durable  indeed,  but  soon  got  lamentably  greasy.  In 
the  scarcity  of  soap,  the  scant  linen  of  the  household  was  ot'ten 
waslied  with  strong  lye.  In  the  records  of  the  time  we  read  of 
a  gill  who  innocently  tried  to  clean  hci  one  garment,  a  gown  of 
deerskin,  in  the  same  jiotent  li(piid,  and  saw  the  leather  shrivel 
away  to  nothing  before  her  startled  eyes,  so  that  she  was  fain  to 
hide  in  the  potato  cellai  till  her  mother  could  get  her  a  blanket. 
As  for  finery,  a  little  of  that  could  be  got,  by  those  able  to  afford 
it,  from  the  Yankee  peddleis  already  referred  to.  It  usually  took 
the  form  of  poorly-printed  calicoes  at  a  fabulous  number  of  shil- 
lings per  yard.  We  read  of  such  calicoes  at  eight  and  ten  shillings, 
with  book  muslin  at  eigliteen  shillings.  Many  a  bride  of  the  loyal- 
ists had  nothing  but  deerskin  for  her  wedding  garment. 

but  the  stubborn  energy  of  these  pioneers,  which  had  made 
them  so  hated  by  their  adversaries,  in  due  course  carved  success 
out  of  misfortune.  The  greatness  of  that  success  one  success  at 
has  but  to  look  around  him  to  see.  The  loyalists  '*** 
were  Cod-fearing  men,  and  they  held  sacred  the  education  of 
their  children.  Therefore  as  soon  as  the  wilderness  began  to  \ield 
before  their  axes,  they  made  haste  to  buiUl  the  school-house  and 
the  church  '  in  every  district.  A  jealous  care  for  these  marks  the 
Canadian  spirit  to  this  day. 


'  The  first  loyalist  cliurcli  erected  in  what  is  now  Ontario  was  that  of  the  loyal 
Mohawks  on  Grand  River. 


lif: 


li'i 


■:      I 


r 


i.- 


/'/ 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

SECTIONS:  —  67,  Lokd  Dokchester  Governor-General.  68. 
THE  Constitutional  Act.  69,  the  Two  Canadas  —  Upper 
AND  Lower.  70,  the  Maritime  Provinces.  71,  Threats  of 
War  between  England  and  the  United  States. 

67.  Lord  Dorchester  Governor-General.  —  Ever  since  the  pass- 
7'7<V  \  ingof  the  Quebec  Act  in  1674,  the  English  inhabitants  of  Canada 
Canadians,  had  been  dissatisfied.  As  we  have  seen,  the  provisions 
Ingiishaifke,  of  French  law  were  deeply  distasteful  to  them.  Still 
res^tetivr  ^^^^  Strongly  did  they  object  to  being  deprived  of 
government,  representative  government.  As  soon  as  the  loyalists 
were  fairly  established  in  Canada,  the  clamour  for  English  law  and 
popular  assemblies  increased  a  hundredfold.  The  new  inhabitants 
were  not  of  a  stock  or  a  temper  to  long  endure  the  loss  of  their 
political  privileges ;  and  being  high  in  favour  with  the  home 
government,  their  a])peals  were  heard  attentively  in  the  halls  of 
Westminster.  In  their  demand  for  self-government,  they  were 
warmly  supported  by  the  leaders  of  the  French  Canadians,  wiio 
foresaw  the  power  to  be  wielded  by  the  votes  of  their  country- 
men. They  protested,  very  naturally,  against  being  counted  less 
fit  for  representative  government  than  their  fellow-subjects  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick.  In  this  demand  for  representa- 
tive institutions  we  catch  again,  and  this  time  sharply  sounded, 
the  key-note  of  the  Second  Period  of  Canadian  History.  We 
discern  the  first  strong  movements  of  that  struggle  which  was  to 
euvl  in  full  Responsible  Government  for  all  the  provinces. 

Governor  Haldimand,  who  had  been  somewhat  arbitrary  in  his 

208 


FIRST  SUGGESTION'  OF  UNION. 


209 


methods  of  enforcing  the  very  arbitrary  form  of  government  pro- 
vided by  the  Quebec  Act,  now  resigned.  Though  a  warm  and 
untiring  friend  to  the  loyaUsts,  his  sternness  had  made  LordDorches- 
him  unpopular.  In  1787  that  well-tried  friend  of  goverao*-^* 
Canada,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  returned  to  the  country  s^"^'^**- 
which  he  had  saved  twelve  years  before.  For  his  services  he  had 
been  made  Lord  Dorchester.  He  came  now  as  governor-general 
of  all  the  provinces  and  commander-in-chief  of  all  the  forces  in 
British  North  America.  His  immediate  authority  was  exercised 
in  the  Lake  country  and  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  while  the 
governors  of  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick;  St.  John's  Island,  and 
Cape  Breton  were  made  subordinate  to  him,  with  the  title  of 
lieutenant-governor.  F>en  at  that  day  we  find  germs  of  the 
policy  and  sentiment  which  were  destined  to  ripen,  „^  ^   ^ 

slowly  and  through  many  vicissitudes,  into  this  great  gestionof 

union  be- 

Confederation  of  Canada.     We  see  the  first  governor  tween  the 

provinces. 

of  New  Brunswick,  Thomas  Carleton,  unfolding  to  the 

provincial  Assembly  his  dreams  of  the  expansion  which  would 
follow  as  the  sister  provinces  drew  more  closely  together  in  their 
interests  and  their  sympathies. 

On  Lord  Dorchester's  arrival  in  Canada  he  made  haste  to 
relieve  the  general  discontent.  His  measures  were  but  tempo- 
rary, however.     They  were  intended  to  serve  only  till 

-'  •'  •'  LordDorches- 

thc  British  Parliament  could  pass  such  an  act  as  would  ter  soothes 

1  f  .1  1  TT  theagiution. 

remove  the  mam  grievances  of  the  people.  He  re- 
stored the  Act  of  Habeas  Corpus,  as  well  as  the  principle  of  trial 
by  jury  in  civil  cases.  At  the  same  time,  to  aid  the  British  Parlia- 
ment in  the  legislation  which  he  demanded,  he  drew  up  a  careful 
and  masterly  report  on  the  conditions  of  politics,  education,  com- 
merce, and  the  administration  of  justice  in  Canada.  For  the  bet- 
ter ordering  of  its  affiiirs,  Lord  Dorchester  divided  the  newly  settled 
hake  region  mto  four  districts,  each  with  regularly  constituted 
courts  of  English  law.  As  a  compliment  to  the  large  German 
element  in  their  population,  —  so  many  of  the  inland  loyalists 
being  of  German  stock,  —  he  named  these  districts  Lunenburg, 
p 


■-^jSfii.i^^—'i^r,- 


M 


>   i 


210 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\{\ 


w 


Mecklenburg,  Nassau,  and  Hesse.  They  were  afterwards  renamed 
Eastern  (that  adjoining  the  Ottawa),  Midland,  Home  (or  Niag- 
ara), and  Western  (or  Detroit). 

68.  The  Constitutional  Act.  —  The  remedy  proposed  by  1  ,ord 
Dorchester  for  the  diiiiciilties  in  Canaila  was  a  division  of  the 
The  division  territory  into  two  provinces,  each  to  have  that  form  of 
of  Canada.  constitution  l)est  suited  to  tlie  wants  of  it,  inhabitants. 
In  accordance  with  this  plan  Karl  iJranville  introt'  d  in  the 
British  Parliament  a  bill,  known  to  ('anadian  hisiory  as  the 
''Constitutional  Act,"  for  dividing  the  dissatisfied  province  into 
Upper  (."anada  and  Lower  Canada.  The  act  sdrred  up  a  fierce 
debiJte  in  the  Imperial  Parliament.  The  English  population  of 
the  proposed  Lower  Province  were  violently  against  iv,  fearing 
lh.)L  they  would  be  swamped  by  the  l-'rench  majority.  Many 
were  for  treating  French  Canada  in  all  respects  as  a  comjuercHl 
territory,  and  imposing  upon  it  the  English  language,  English  laws, 
and  English  institutions,  —  a  course  which  would  have  found 
ample  precedent  in  the  practice  of  civilized  states.  Hut  both 
policy  antl  justice  seemed  to  point  to  other  measures.  Lord 
Dorchester's  advice,  backetl  by  the  tremendous  support  of  the 
younger  IMtt,  carried  the  day.  The  French  Canadians  had 
proved  themselves  loyal  subjects  of  Cjreat  Britain  at  a  time  when 
the  sons  of  her  own  loins  were  flying  at  her  throat.  They  had 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  bribes  of  the  rebel  colonies.  Now,  at 
a  time  when  France  was  given  up,  in  the  name  of  Liberty,  to  all 
the  wild  horrors  of  the  Revolution,  the  French  Canadians  were 
faithful  to  their  church  and  obedient  to  their  priests.  This 
steadiness  and  conservatism  found  great  favour  in  English  eyes. 
English  statesmen  were  not  inclined  to  force  upon  so  excellent 
a  people  any  laws  and  customs  which  they  did  not  like.  More- 
over, the  revolt  of  the  thirteen  colonies  had  rubbed  smartly  into 
the  English  mind  a  lesson  which  was  nut  yet  fully  understood. 
Pitt  fancied  that  the  new  colonies  would  be  more  securely  held  to 
England  if  they  could  be  held  somewhat  apart  from  each  other. 
He  favoured  the  perpetuation  of  French  ideas,  institutions,  and 


UPPER  AND   LOWER    CANADA. 


211 


speech  in  TyOwcr  Canada,  as  a  barrier  between  the  English  prov- 
inces of  Upper  Canada  on  the  one  hand,  and  Nova  Scotia  and 
Xew  Uinnswick  on  the  other.  Mis  dread  was  lest  these  provinces 
should  some  day  roll  together  into  one,  and  repeat  the  deeds  of 
'76.  He  remembered  the  cynical  saying  of  Turgot  that  "colonies 
are  like  fruits  which  only  cling  till  they  ripen."  He  wished  by 
justice  anil  generosity  to  strengthen  every  tie  of  love  between  the 
colonies  and  England  ;  but  by  no  means  did  he  wish  that  the 
colonies  should  love  each  other. 

Upper  Canada,  therefore,  was  made  in  all  respects  a  British 
province,  with  English  laws,  and  with  all  lands  held  on  the  free- 
hold tenure.     Lower  Canada,  while  receiving  the  bene-   ^.„ 

'='  Ditferences  in 

fit  of  representative  institutions,  along  with  the  Habeas   the  institu- 
'  "^  tions  of  the 

Corpus  Act  and  the  Criminal   Law   of  England,  re-   twoprov- 

mained  in  other  respects,  what  she  already  was,  a 
Frencli  province.  Lands  were  held  on  that  feudal  tenure  which 
has  been  already  explained.  In  the  case  of  new  grants,  however, 
the  freehold  tenure  was  permitted  on  special  request.  In  Civil 
Livv,  the  P'rench  practice  was  established.  French  sentiinent  was 
determined  that  the  French  language  and  French  customs  should 
not  go  down  before  the  swarming  inroads  of  English  settlement, 
and  this  sentiment  was  fully  recognized  in  the  new  act.  The  act 
secured  to  the  French  Canadians  what  had  l)een  allowed  them 
from  the  Contpiest,  —  the  privileges  of  their  religion  and  the  main- 
tenance of  their  church  system  ;  but  at  the  same  time,  to  ]Drotect 
the  Protestant  minority,  a  large  portion  of  the  wild  lands  was  set 
apart  in  Lower  Canada,  as  in  the  other  provinces,  for  the  support 
of  the  Protestant  clergy.  These  lands,  known  as  the  "  Clergy 
Reserves,"  became  in  after  years  a  source  of  bitter  strife  in  the 
provincial  assemblies. 

At  the  time  of  the  division  Lower  Canada  had  a  population 
of  perhaps  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousaml.  Upper  Canada 
ofless  than  twenty  thousand.  To  each  was  given  a  Legislature  of 
three  branches,  as  in  the  other  provinces.  These  three  branches 
—  dovernor,  Legislative  Council,  and  House  of  Assembly  —  cor- 


212 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


w 


i  ! 


1    ; 
s    ■ 


responded  in  a  vague  way  to  the  "  three  estates "  in  longland,  — 

King,  Lords,  and  Commons.    There  was  also  a  strong  but  anoni.i- 

^    ^  lous  body  called  the  Executive  Council,  which  atled 

The  Governor  ^ 

andExecu-      as  an  advisory  board  to   the   governor.     Its    Dowers 
tive  Council.  ■,,•,,  ,      , 

were  very  vaguely  laid    down ;   and    the  position  of 

its  members  enabled  them  to  defy  public  opinion.  They  weir 
the  occupants  of  the  highest  official  posts  in  each  colony,  aii'l 
as  a  rule,  though  not  of  necessity,  they  held  seats  in  the  Legis- 
lative Council.  The  governor,  appointed  by  the  Crown,  and 
usually  sent  out  from  England  with  small  knowledge  of  the  pe- 
culiar conditions  of  life  in  a  new  country,  was  apt  to  be  swayed 
unduly  by  these  official  advisers.  If  the  governor  made  himself 
obnoxious  to  the  people,  the  iieople  could,  in  course  of  lime,  get 
rid  of  him  by  petitioning  for  his  recall.  But  the  members  of  the 
Executive  Council,  once  they  were  appointed,  held  office  without 
responsibility  either  to  the  governor  or  the  people.  The  Crown, 
of  course,  could  remove  them  ;  but  they  were  hardly  important 
enough  to  attract  the  Crown's  attention.  Therefore  their  seats 
were  iiv)pregnal)le,  and  they  gradually  acquired  a  lofty  contempt 
for  the  classes  whom  they  considered  their  inferiors.  Much  of 
the  bitterness  of  the  struggle  for  Responsible  Government,  des- 
tined so  soon  to  commence,  was  directly  traceable  to  the  arro- 
gance of  the  Executive  Council. 

The  Legislative  C'ouncil  was  mixed  up  with  the  Executive  in  a 
most  confusing  way ;  its  membership  in  part,  and  its  interests 
The  Legisia-  altogether,  were  the  same.  The  members  of  the  Leg- 
tive Council,  igi^tivt  Council  were  appointed  by  the  Crown,  anl 
for  life.  They  were  selected  from  among  the  judges,  bishops,  anil 
highest  officials  of  the  provinces.  They  held  themselves  respcsn- 
sible  to  no  one  but  a  king  who  was  too  far  off  to  observe  them  ; 
and  they  strove  to  secure  to  themselves  the  privileges  of  a  heredi- 
tary aristocracy.  In  the  beginning  they  were  the  most  veiiement 
petitioners  for  free  representative  government.  When  they  had 
gained  a  measure  of  it,  and  that  measure  entirely  in  their  own 
hands,  they  set  themselves  to  block  the  wheels  of  progress.    Them- 


^i* 


"""'""^""■•'^^^s.-r.^rn^y. 


selves  at-first  the  leaders  in  ,k       .  '  ^'3 

-OS.  obs,i„,.,.e  opponent.    T^  rlT?"'  """^  '^''""^  -'  'as,  i,, 
Kes,>o„s,ble  Government  was  IJZZT^'  '"^  ""-i*'  o 

I  he  members  of  the  Assemlwl  ""^  "'"f  """throl 

people  responsible  to  the  peop^  7"  '^  -l-«entatives  If  the 
serve  for  a  fixed  terra  of  yea  °  •,  h  !  '""'  ^^  "«  People  to 
full  term,  however   as   th!  ">'''"'  n°' ^Iwavs  ser„    ., 

"•fe»'vetheHous;.  a.»     ^°'"""'  '"-^   PO'ver  to  ?         ""= 

.-.f.oelectarwAtirV";'  ""  "P™  ">"  "5^"""" 
people  were  very  likely  to,  eLt  ,','  "  '"T  -'"""dances  the 
he    ands  of  the  Assembly  restj  1 1^'"  °"  ^'"■"--"'^ives     f, 

,  ""•     "<^  racking  of  laws  rested  ^vi^h,!  '™Po«eion  of  customs 
'-'■ve  Council,  but  no  law  bJc    „e  T  ""^ '^''»«'™My  and  l,^. 
.i»^ent  of  the  governor.     As  we  h       ''"""'  ""  "  --^^ived  ^^e 
-  i"  the  hands  of  the  A^e  rt,     7  ?"  '  "■'=  "-"g  "f  re    m  " 
»™ng  in  from  the  sale  or     I^'of ';'."  "'^7  «^  «  l.rge  revem " 
he  lease  of  mines  and  thnber  lim  t    T;"  ^*'  ^»  '-»  -  from 
tasua   and  Territorial  Reven,  e''     tI       "*  "^  ""'o™  as  the 
'"s  u.  the  very  beginning  seized  b    i    "  """'"'  "^  '^is  revenue 
;"a"ve  Council's  consent  beca'  '^  i''""""'-.  -*  'he  "" 

he  ween  Executive  and  AssembV  ™  "  "'  ""«  ""-'o' 

"°"'i  Ac,;  ^,Z:JT'^'   '"*"  "O  lower. -The   C       • 

iiiat  of  Fnvvpr  /-        ,  "  provinces  werp  r-nii  ^  ^ 

^i  i^ovver  Canada  met  at  n,    i  *^^"^d  toijether 

Spe^'kerofth      ,our""f  *«'=''  •■'  I'-nchma:  „  "  """*  "' 
:«'-o„,  re.,uir    r  ;,  le^'^'  "  ""^  "  ^'^n^"-      ^SSi 
■■"Shsh  languages  in  debl-l^'"'  ''^ ''^^"^■''  -'^^  ^•""" 
,*?r'"--  »as  presen    d  to   h"     '"      °  "'"""^  "'  "»■  House 

« :t"'  :"^-  --™%  ?o;rr;rr^  '^^-  -^- 

'>«.eh-  and  ,''"  -"-helming  majority   n^hr  "Z""''"' 
,  .  and  .h,s  element,  though  entireiuntra Ld'"""''  '"' 

'  """ra'tiud  .n  ix,litic.i| 


t     T 


214 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


i  III 


ilM 


M 


I 


life,  proved  itself  well  adapted  to  parliamentary  procedure  and 
quick  to  exercise  the  new  powers  thus  placed  within  its  grasp. 

The  Legislature  of  Upper  Canada  was  summoned  in  September, 
1792,  to  meet  at  Niagara,  then  the  rapital  of  tlu;  infant  provin(  e. 
Firstmeeting  It  was  a  miniature  parliament,  with  a  Legislative 
of  UMi'er^*"'^^  Council  of  seven  members,  an  Assembly  of  sixteen. 
Canada.  -j^j^^,  first  governor  of  Upjjcr  Canada  was  Colonel  John 

(jraves  Simcoe,  who  may  well  be  called  the  father  of  Canada's 
premier  province.  Governor  Simcoe  had  fought  with  distinctiou 
in  the  late  war,  commanding  the  famous  Queen's  Rangers  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  whole  heart  was  in  the  Loyalist  cause  ;  and  he  spared 
no  cfiort  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  new  loyalist  province 
now  committed  to  his  care.  His  f  rst  parliament,  though  it  sat 
but  for  a  month,  got  good  work  done.  Besides  completing  its 
organization  and  making  rules  for  its  procedure,  it  passed  eight 
important  acts.  Among  these  was  one  which  established  l-'nglish 
law  in  its  entirety.  The  four  divisions  of  the  province  were  re- 
named, as  we  have  seen ;  and  in  this  period  of  swiftly  changing 
names  the  little  capital,  at  first  Niagara,  became  Lennox,  then 
Nassau,  then  Newark, -— only  to  return  at  last  to  its  original 
sonorous  and  stately  title. 

Travelling  afoot  over  the  rough,  forest  trails,  or  threading  lake 
and  river  in  his  birch-bark  canoe,  the  sturdy  governor  cx])lored 
his  province,  laying  out  roads  where  he  thought  them  most  urgently 
needed.  The  great  arteries  of  traffic  known  as  Governor's  Road, 
Governor  Yonge  Street,  and  Dundas  Street,  are  among  the  monu- 
foTthe  pr"^'  ments  that  remain  to  us  of  Simcoe's  zeal  as  a  road- 
ince.  builder.     The  gist  of  his  poHcy  was  to  draw  into  the 

province  those  Americans  who,  though  loyalist  at  heart,  had 
shrunk  from  the  hardships  of  the  wilderness  and  accepted  the 
new  flag.  He  issued  a  proclamation  offering  free  grants  of  land 
to  all  who  would  guarantee  to  bring  it  promptly  under  tillage,  and 
who  would  at  the  same  time  subscribe  to  the  following  oath :  — 
"I,  A.  B.,  do  promise  and  declare  that  I  will  maintain  and  defend 
to  the  utmost  of  my  power  the  authority  of  the  King  in  his  Parlia 


^OLWDfAr,;    o,-   TORONTO. 
mcnt  as  the  sunrem     i     ■  "^^ 

l->«ion  brougl,,  ,„  a  thro^!"!;;'!  "";  P™"""."    This  p„,c. 

he  four  years  after  Snncoe's  con",W  1'"''  """'"••'"^     W.hin 
C.™a<la  rose  to  thirty  ,ho„,,„^  '™""g  'he  population  of  Upper 

Simcoc  ivas  not  satisfied  ivith  Ni,„ 
"-r  .he  A,„erican  border.     T     1  feT  "^  ?  '^^^''-     "  "-  'oo 
-i'"l'ty  s„„:e  the  division,  fillinV  '^     ?  '"''  ^fown  with  great 
""""Srants,  and  capturing  \  \  ^  ™"'  ■-^'""i'an 

"'•  '.akes  Krie  and  Huron^    fc  h?°""  '  "'  "'^  "•'•'de  aSSSi'" 
l»"lt  of  wood,  but  many  of  ,^        '  "'""  ^'"™^t  ^"  ^"°°'°- 
officials  were  lar™  IT  °"^  oc'  upied  by  li,.  „.    •     . 

ni,„.  f  ^    *"''  iraposino  stni^,,.,         „  Provinca 

plant  h,s  new  capital  on  the  river  ■.,■  ^""™e  ''■'»l--«l  to 
London  now  stands.  But  Lord  , ,,'"'•  "'''"^  ''"=  busy  civ  of 
of  Kingston,  as  old  For.  ;  ontel  r''"'"  '■^'™"™l  'he  c  ,i° 

fo"  and  barrack,,,  and  a  thriv  nr.r.H        !  '"^  ''°"^«'  ^'  '=hnrch 
'''"W'ng  .ndustries,  and  was    1^"^    t'     "  ''^"^  ™Ponant  shi,,.' 
Jhioh  guarded  Lake  Ontar  o     tW  ?""'^-  °f  'he  little  ne  t 
*a.vn  because  it  was  regarded  "'^''™"-  =°°"  '<>  he  with 

ZT  r  '-™-<'  o-- a Ire^c:  '"!:?  "  *=  ^™eri::' ' 
«    officered  almost  wholly  by  French  ff"  ™"""odore  and 
-    Ktngston  was  not  sufficiemly™""!^ '-'     I"  Simcoe's 
"M"e    was  a  compromise.     lust  r^        ,     ''"  '-""'■l^ion  of  the 
»"  a  httle  bay  which  formed  al  TT  "''  ''"''^  f™."  Niagara 
l°»K  kno,v„  to  the  Indian,™  sTor^'?  ''"''°-'  "-  a  .,ad,„S 
!-'•  >W.ich  had  been  ahidy  ma IL    "  "^^  '"=  "■- °' 
Aanged  to  Yoric,  in  honour  ofThe  olH  t''""'  '"■  ""  ""™^hip.  „a, 
;:  ;°*     Here  was  the  plal  f^  he  n"^  ""'  ^-""'^''  ""l^e 
»'^  'he  choice  made  than  Simcr   ,  '■•^''''•■''-     No  sooner 

;»-  'he  huildingof  the  tow^  He  c"T,\  """^•^'^  '"■"'er,  a" 
8"hernatorial  headquarters  Z'l   ^    ^/""''"'rook  „„  delav     The 

'!-!^^«^£%>pin:  a;Te,:rarf  :^:;r  ^"  ^ «-,  :i?; 

■Ti'^S;;^;^--;;—-; ^-i!."^  '"■  '■a'^ed  ,0  shelter 


t  I  > 


••-»Sy-'>*'.,T-t7r 


'■  i 


III 


2l6 


./    HISTORY   OF   CANADA. 


thein.     The  new  capital  was  nicknamed  at  first  Little  York,  and 

later,  as  it  grew  larger,  Muddy  York.     But   at  last,  in   1.S34,  u 

resumed  its  lovely  ancient  name  of  Toronto,  and  wiped  out  all 

reproaciies  by  its  progress  and  its  beauty. 

Before  Simcoe  could  see  his  labour.-;  rewarded  by  the  session 

of   ParHament    in  his  new  capital,  he  was  recalled   from  I'pptT 

Recall  of         Canada  and  sent  to  govern  the  island  of  St.  Domingo 

Governor  (1796).     He  had  made  some  troublesome  eueuiics, 

Simcoeand        v    ' -'    /  '"^^• 

LordDorches-  By  his  Strictness  in  enforcing  the  terms  of  his  land- 
grants  he  had  stood  in  the  way  of  speculators  ;  by  iiis 
vigour  and  fearless  honesty,  as  well  as  by  the  conservatism  of  his 
social  views,  he  had  stirred  up  ill-will  in  many  quarters;  and 
though  he  deserved  and  held  the  loyal  devotion  of  the  i)rovinre 
as  a  whole,  the  intrigues  of  his  foes  brought  about  his  removal. 
But  he  had  stamped  himself  indelibly  on  the  province.  The  pros- 
perity of  Ontario  is  his  monument. 

In  the  same  year  that  C Canada  lost  Simcoe,  she  lost  another  of 
her  truest  friends,  Lord  Dorchester.  During  his  term  of  oftice 
Europe  had  been  convulsed  by  the  French  Revolution  and  tl-.e 
upheavals  that  followed  in  its  train.  iMigland  had  been  drawn 
into  war,  and  republican  France  had  sent  her  emissaries  to  the 
St.  Lawrence  valley  to  seduce  the  Canadians  from  their  allegiance. 
But  tlie  spirit  of  the  Revolution  was  abhorrent  to  the  French 
of  Canada.  The  generous  rule  of  England  had  secured  itself  in 
their  affections,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Lord  Dorchester. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  sturdily  loyal.  And  the  seed 
which  Paris  was  scattering  abroad  over  the  world  found  in  Canada 
no  congenial  soil.  A  son  of  George  III,  Edward  Duke  of  Kent, 
was  now  commander  of  the  forces  at  Quebec,  and  he  was  made  a 
centre  of  loyal  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  the  French  Canadians. 
During   this  period  another   and  graver  peril  was 

Treaty  of  Of  t>  i 

Amity  and       averted,  by  the   conclusion   of  a   "  Treaty  of  Aniitv 

Commerce.  ,      ,  ,,   ,  r.      1       1  1     1       t»   •     i 

and  (ommerce      between   England  and  the   united 

States.     The  Americans,  still  hot  from  the  late  struggle  and  filled 

with  a  youthful  ardour  for  republican  institutions,  were  eager  for  a 


^^ocy^^ss  r„  ^^^^  ^^^^^^ 


war  with  Enelmr!  .«  i  3*7 

«cale,  and  secure<l  (he  n    •.'  "'"  ^^'"^  ^'^^"^vn  into  thf  . 

overweening  pn.Je  Z  T        '''''  °^  ^'^^  ^'-eaty      m  "      ^'  °^''^'^ 

'  ADout    the    time    fh*.   /-      i^^"ticai  atmos-  Novascotia. 

{-'overnor    Parr   ,•«    v  '-o^stitutional    4^^ 

•^"'^»  Ingl's,  was  made  fi^f      ,'''^-^>'™^^»  ^^om  New  York     )i?" 

warm  supnnrt  nf  r  ^^'■^'^'JP  of  Nova  Srnf  '     ^'^^O'" 

sifv     f  /-.^        ""^  (governor  U'entwr.rfj  i         ^   ^'^'  ^"^^  with  the 
•'''fv  of  Kinfj-'c  rvii  '^"cwortn  he  esfiM;  u    i    .  ^ 

•;■•"'•'"«  "f  'he    0      ;:™-'  e„,p,e  „f  c.^f  ^^  ;^  -   'he 

""h  '•■"nee  bro„,.|„  ,Zk,    "^'"'  "f  free  ci,i.e„s|„r  n     ""'' 
'"•..nd   the   Royal   No„    ';„,""""""■'■'  battalions  were 


'iiiHWIWIlllllliril 


2l8 


//    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Progress  in 
New  Bruns 
wick. 


The  province  of  New  Brunswick,  well  atlinini.'.tcrod  in  its  in- 
fancy by  (Jovernor  Thoiuas  Curleton,  was  Ijuain:^  its  i)rogress  upon 
lumber.  Knglantl  needed  its  great  pine-trees  as  masts  for  ihc 
fleets  which  were  so  gloriously  upholding  her  honour  on  every  sea. 
To  foster  the  trade  of  this  favoured  colony,  heavy 
duties  were  imposed  on  the  timber  coming  into  ling- 
land  from  foreign  ports.  'I'liis  checked  the  l-;ihi( 
trade,  while  it  stimulated  the  shi[)-building  and  lumbering  of  New 
Brunswick  to  a  magic  growth.  Lumbering  towns  widi  shrickin^^ 
saw-mills  sprang  up  at  every  river-mouth.  The  pui)ulation  grew 
rapidly  by  immigration  from  F^ngland.  Pine  plank  and  spruce 
deal  became  the  bulwarks  of  New  Brunswick's  prosperity,  and  all 
her  veins  seemed  to  run  sawdust. 

It  was  in  New  Brunswick  that  the  struggle  between  the  As- 
sembly on  the  one  hand  and  the  Executive  Council  on  the  other 
was  first  fairly  and  openly  begun.  It  began  ahnost 
loxix^l^-  iniiiiediately  after  the  organization  of  the  province, 
meiu°be^gin8  ^"*^^  ^^^  question  at  issue  was  that  of  the  appropriation 
Brunswick  ^^  revenues  The  Assembly  demanded  the  right  of 
raising  and  controlling  the  revenues.  'I'he  members 
voted  themselves  the  sum  of  7s.  6d.  each  per  day  during  the 
session  as  remuneration  for  their  services.  This  bill  was  thrown 
out  by  the  Upper  House,  as  the  Legislative  Council  was  called. 
The  Assembly  then  incorporated  it  in  the  bill  for  the  yearly  ex- 
penditure on  schools,  bridges,  roads,  and  other  public  service. 
In  this  new  form  it  went  back  to  the  Council.  The  Council  had 
the  right  to  accept  or  reject,  but  not  to  change,  the  Appropriation 
Bill.'  This  brought  legislation  to  a  standstill.  Neither  side 
would  yield.  At  length  the  Colonial  Secretary  thundered  out  or" 
Downing  Street,  pronouncing  against  the  Assembly ;  but  even  by 
this  the  Assembly  was  not  daunted.  For  three  years  (i79f>- 
1799)  no  revenue  or  appropriation  bills  were  passed.     Then  the 


1  This  was  the  name  given  to  the  bill  providing  for  the  payment  of  the  Civil 
List  and  other  items  of  the  public  service. 


I! 


tl 


qnarrel  was  settled  by  ,  ,„,„,  ""         '""J 

'^i  ^^I'.ch   the  '^    ^'  -.;'f^''^^r>ru,tion  |>il|,,  the  on!  • '  ""''"^^''' 


™">  Ho-ss,  ca„,in„e,!  Jilt «  '•  ?  '"""^«^' -„|.,;  ."■a'-.*. 
''<'  ^egan  his  work   by  Ic^diu     J  '  ^''^'  "^  ^'^<-^  >^e,v  Wor^ 

^!^^^^"ce  upon  ber  "Ri.|7LT''     '''''''''  ''^'^  '"-   twS'^G^r. 

ilnKif         '  ,    'f^-'-     American  cantiin^  I,    ,    ''^^'^""S  ;R'«htof 
;^  "•'•h't  of  seducing  the  British  ^'''  ^^^"'^"l         '' " 

i""e.     Angercii  by 


— M* 


I— li^imiii 


WMMfi'ifciliHWill 


220 


//    ///SrOA'V   OF   CI, V.I  P.I. 


i  M 


li 


this  conrluct,  the  British  government  ordered  its  captains  to  sei/e 
any  deserters  found  on  American  shi|)s,  and  to  search  all  shi[)s 
suspected  of  harbouring  deserters.  'J'his  order,  needless  to  say, 
was  not  always  carried  out  in  tlie  gentlest  fiishion,  the  temper  of 
the  time  not  being  gentle.  A  climax  came  in  1S07,  when  the 
United  States  frigate  Chesapeake,  challenged  by  Her  Majesty's 
ship  Leopard.,  refused  to  give  uj)  the  deserters  among  her  crew. 
She  was  forthwith  disabled  by  several  broadsides,  boarded  by  tiie 
Leopard's  crew,  and  the  deserters  taken  by  force.  This  amazing 
outrage  was  promptly  disavowed  by  (ireat  Britain  ;  but  it  gave  the 
Americans  righteous  grounds  for  wrath,  and  war  was  with  difficulty 
averted. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  previous  year  (i8o6),  Napoleon  had  struck 
desperately  at  England's  trade  by  his  famous  "  Berlin  Decrees." 
By  these  decrees  (ireat  Britain  was  declared  to  be  in 
Decree's"""  ^  ^^^^e  of  blockade.  Neutral  ships  were  forbidden  to 
CouncVi!"'  enter  her  ports,  and  all  use  of  her  manufactures  was 
Act''and°Non-  Prohibited  on  the  continent.  The  overwhelming 
Intercourse  strength  of  the  British  navy  made  this  decree  of 
small  effect ;  but  England  retaliated  by  her  Onter•^- 
in-Council,  which  forbade  all  nations  to  trade  with  Franu . 
Tius  was  no  idle  mandate,  Init  one  which  her  fleet  was  well  able 
to  enforce  ;  and  under  it  the  commerce  of  both  Ameri(  a  and 
France  came  to  ruin,  .America,  if  she  had  felt  herself  strong 
enougli,  would  perhaps  have  declared  war  on  both  France  .ind 
Itlngland,  both  of  whom  were  capturing  her  ships.  I  "  ith, 
however,   burned  far  more  hotly  against   England  gjnst 

France.  Not  being  ready  for  war,  she  passed  the  fam  luiibargo 
Act  (1807),  forbidding  American  ships  to  trade  at  a'  foi<  gn 
\)0\\.  whatever.  This  curious  proceeding  almost  completed  the 
destruction  which  England  and  France  had  begun.  The  New 
England  States,  the  chief  ship-owners,  threatened  to  secele; 
whereupon  a  new  act  was  passed,  forbidding  trade  with  France 
and  England  but  permitting  it  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  After 
several  years  of  this,  Napoleon  told  America  that  he  had  revoked 


QUAA'K/'.I.S   /X  I.OWI.R    CANADA. 


221 


his  Herlin  Decrees  in  her  fiivoiir ;  while  at  the  same  time  he  gave 
secret  instructions  to  the  fleets  that  they  were  to  enforce  the  de- 
crees as  before.  Congress  was  delighted.  The  Nf)n-Interc-ourse 
Act  was  repealed  as  far  as  France  was  ( oncerned  ;  and  America 
l)C,i,Mn  to  dream  wild  dreams  of  a  French  alliance. 

I'ljr  a  time,  however,  wise  (ounsels  prevailed  in  the  iNew  World 
republic.  The  intluence  of  Washington  was  yet  mighty.  'I'he 
horizon  seemed  to  clear;  and  as  the  war-cloud  lifted  Pouticai 
along  our  borilers,  it  was  (juickly  forgotten  in  the  tower'" 
excitement  of  \  loud  political  cpiarrel  in  Lower  C'an-  ^*"*''* 
ada.  Dispute  had  arisen  between  the  Assembly  and  the  Legis- 
lative Council.  The  Assembly  was  i>ressing  for  fuller  self-m>veru- 
ment  and  for  fuller  control  of  tin:  revenues.  I'or  this  the  Council 
accused  it  of  disloyalty.  The  members  of  the  Council,  in  turn, 
were  assailed  by  the  .Assembly  with  galling  invective.  They  were 
taunted  as  greedy  and  tyrannous  intruders.  Each  party  had  a 
vigorous  press  to  fight  its  battles;  and  e.ich  party,  when  abtise 
seemed  too  mild  a  weapon,  was  apt  to  relieve  its  feelings  by  the 
imprisonment  of  opposing  editors  or  the  sui>pression  of  ojiposing 
sheen.  In  the  mid.st  of  this  contention  can\e  the  threat  of  war, — 
and  the  strife  was  hushed.  Both  parties  vied  with  each  other  in 
warlike  loyalty  ;  the  militia  companies  were  rapidly  filled  up;  and 
the  French  Bishop,  M.  Plessis,  i>iued  a  strongly  British  pastoral  to 
be  read  in  all  the  churches. 

In  1808  Sir  James  Craig  came  to  Quebec  as  governor-general. 
A  few  months  later  the  war-scare  subsided.  Meanwhile  the  gov- 
ernor, a  brave  but  obstinate  Scotchman,  and  ouite  un-    „    . 

'  Sir  James 

acquainted  with  Canadian  alfairs.  had  been  listening   Craig and  the 

'     Assembly. 
to  the  tales  of  the  Council.     He  had  been  persuaded 

that  the  Lrench  Canadians  were  dangeroii-  and  ilisloyal.     He  soon 

found  himself  at  strife  with  the  .Assembly,  who  were  at  that  time 

heiit  on  ]-)rohibiting  judges  from  holding  seals  in  the  Legislature. 

The  governor  insisted  that  the  Assembly  should  give  its  attention 

to  inoviding  for  the  defence  of  the  province  ;  but  the  Assembly 

ileclined  to  do  so  until  the  (juestion  of  the  judges'  seats  was  settled. 


1 


->'>:» 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


M 


IM 


! 


Ilj 


The  governor,  with  a  fine  absolutism  that  would  have  done  credit 
to  a  Caesiir,  dissolved  the  House  on  the  plea  that  the  members 
wasted  their  time.  New  elections  were  held;  and  the  French 
party  came  back  stronger  than  ever.  More  bitterly  than  ever  the 
quarrel  was  renewed,  not  only  over  the  judges  but  over  expendi- 
ture of  revenues  as  well.  The  Assembly  declared  vacant  the  seats 
of  the  judges.  The  governor  again  dissolved  the  House.  Secret 
meetings  were  hel  A  all  over  the  province.  Angry  proclamations 
were  issued.  Tlie  office  of  the  Canadien  newspai)er,  the  organ  of 
the  French  party,  was  stripped  by  a  squad  (jf  the  governor's  sol- 
diers; and  the  editor  was  thrown  into  prison.  Six  of  the  most 
prominent  and  turoulent  Assembly-men  were  arrested  and  im- 
prisoned ;  and  the  people,  with  picturesque  extravagance,  de- 
scribed the  time  as  a  Canadian  "  Reign  of  Terror"  (1S09-10). 
The  new  elections  again  sent  back  the  old  members  to  their  seats  ; 
but  meanwhile  the  autocratic  governor-general  had  got  a  rebuke 
from  Westminster.  He  was  ordered  to  pursue  a  more  concilia- 
tory course,  and  to  assent  to  the  bill  for  the  disqualification  of  the 
judges.  The  Council  was  obliged  to  yield,  and  the  strife  died 
down. 

Meanwhile  the  long-threatened  storm  had  burst  on  Canada, 
called  down  in  some  degree  by  an  act  of  the  governor's  which 
we  shall  consider  in  the  next  section.  Sir  James  retired  ;  and 
The  quarrel  Sir  Oeorge  Prevost  came  in  haste  from  Nova  Scotia 
to  fill  the  vacant  office.  He  soothed  the  excited 
French  Canadians.  He  summoned  leading  men  of 
their  party  to  seats  in  the  Council,  and  did  special  honour  to 
othe's  whom  Craig  had  treated  with  harshness.  In  Upper 
Canada,  nieanwhile,  like  scenes,  though  less  violent,  had  oc- 
curred. After  Simcoe's  departure  the  reins  of  power  had  been 
quickly  gathered  into  the  hands  of  a  few  influential  families, 
who  made  successive  governors  the  tools  of  their  ambition  and 
pride.  The  Assembly  were  not  long  in  girding  themselves  to 
the  struggle  for  popular  liberty.  But  when  the  war-cloud  burst 
on  the  frontier  it  stilled  the  strife  of  party.     The  whole  force  of 


forgotten  on 
approach  of 
war. 


IN  TERNAL   DEVEL  0PM EN T. 


223 


the   province  was   at   once   arrayed   under   the  command  of  a 
military  governor,  the  illustrious  Sir  Isaac  Brock. 

During  these  opening  years  of  the  century  the  provinces  which 
now  form  Canada  had  been  growing  in  population  and  trude. 
Political  strife  had  been  a  part  of  the  ferment  of  growth.  Lower 
Canada  now  contained  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  progress  in 
nml  twenty  thousand  souls,  while  Upper  Canada  could  t^^e  *^anadas. 
boast  about  eighty  thousand.  There  were  prosperous  newspapers 
in  both  provinces ;  there  were  iron  works  at  Three  Rivers  ;  there 
were  manufacture.^  of  pa[)er,  leather,  and  hats.  The  chief  exports, 
besides  the  ancient  trade  in  lumber  and  the  yet  more  ancient 
traffic  in  furs  and  fish,  consistec.  of  wheat  and  potash.  Shipping 
had  become  a  powerful  interest,  and  the  foundations  of  Canada's 
vast  mercantile  marine  were  already  laid.  In  1809  the  steamboat 
Accommodation,  the  first  steamer  ever  seen  on  the  St.  Lawrence, 
made  the  trip  from  Montreal  to  Quebec,  greatly  to  the  excitement 
and  admiraiion  of  the  people. 


r  ii 


"'"^BBJBwCritm-tiri  'rrrmM 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


II 


SECTIONS:  — 72,  War  declared  by  Congress.  73,  1812.  Tiik 
Ami:kican  Plan  of  Cami^aign.  74,  XHii  Campaign  of  1813. 
75,  THE  Campaign  of  1814. 


.;■  t 


72.  War  declared  by  Congress. — The  war  averted  ia  1807  by 
England's  reparation  and  apology  for  the  violence  of  the  ship 
Leopard,  was  finally  brought  on  by  a  very  little  matter.  In  1809 
Sir  James  Craig  sent  a  Captain  John  Henry  to  Boston,  to  sound 
the  sentiments  of  the  people.  There  was  a  certain  wild  hope  in 
Congress  Canada  that  the  New  Englanders  might  be  persuaded 

declares  war.  ^^  \Q^x*t  the  Union.  It  was  well  known  that  the  war- 
feeling  of  Congress  was  hateful  to  the  men  of  New  England,  whose 
interests  were  wrapped  up  in  British  trade.  Needless  to  say,  how- 
ever, Captain  Henry's  mission  bore  no  fruit ;  but  between  him 
and  Sir  James  Craig  there  passed  some  correspondence  on  the 
subject.  Meanvviiile  the  temper  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment was  growing  more  dangerous.  This  was  manifested  by  the 
attack  of  the  United  States  frigate  President,  of  44  guns,  upon  the 
English  sloop  of  wds  Little  Belt,  of  18  guns,  resulting,  of  course, 
in  the  capture  of  the  sloop.  In  the  following  year(uSii), 
(.'ongre.ss  ])assed  a  bill  to  treble  the  United  States  army  and  to 
borrow  eleven  million  dollars.  A  pretext  was  eagerly  awaited 
for  open  war.  It  came  m  the  action  of  Captain  Henry,  who,  not 
receiving  from  Sir  James  Craig  what  he  considered  sufficient  re- 
ward for  his  services,  sold  his  correspondence  to  President  Madi- 
son for  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  was  a  large  price  to  ji.iy  for 
documents  which  contained  nothing  of  real  iini)ortance.     But  the 

224 


AMEJUICA'S  AMBITION. 


225 


letters  were  craftily  used.  The  cry  was  raised  that  Great  Britain 
had  tempted  the  fidelity  of  New  England;  and  this  spark  was 
enough  to  fire  the  explosive  train.  On  the  19th  of  June,  18 12, 
Congress  declared  war.  It  was  really  France  against  whom  this 
declaration  should  have  been  made,  iov  Napoleon,  after  luring 
immense  mnnbers  of  American  ships  into  his  harbours,  had 
thrown  off  the  mask  and  seized  them  all.  This  outrage,  far 
worse  than  anything  of  which  England  was  accused,  was  for- 
given because  it  was  done  by  England's  enemy. 

Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  Jersey  cried  out  against 
this  senseless  war;  and  Boston  flags  were  hung  at  half  mast.    But 

the  masses,  the  great  democracy  of  America,  were 

'  °  ^  The  ambition 

much  elated.     It  was  proposed  to  broaden  the  bor-   of  the 

Americans. 
ders  of  the  Union  by  at  once  annexmg  Canada."     To 

the  American  democrats  the  French  alliance  seemed  to  mean  no 
less  than  a  division  of  the  world  between  France  and  .America. 
Canada  would  drop  into  the  union  like  a  ripe  plum.  Europe  for 
France,  the  New  World  for  America,  —  this  was  the  radiant  pros- 
jiect  that  dazzled  the  dreams  of  politicians  of  the  school  of  Jeffer- 
son. But  the  sober  New  Englanders  were  not  dazzled.  They 
pointed  to  the  fact  that  England  had  already  repealed  the  detested 
"Orders-in-Council."  But  they  protested  in  vain.  Napoleon  was 
advancing,  apparently  to  subdue  the  vast  realms  of  Russia.  He 
was  on  his  way  to  Moscow  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand  men.  The  young  republic  burned  to  emulate  in 
North  .\merica  the  deeds  of  her  despot  model.  England's  hands 
wtre  well  tied  by  the  war  in  Europe.  Wellington  was  straining 
all  his  resources  in  Spain,  against  Napoleon's  marshals.  The  time 
hceincd  very  ripe. 

It  was  plain  to  all  eyes  that  Canada  must  bear  the  brunt  of  the 
war.     For  her  it  was  to  be  a  war  of  defence,  and  the  chief  burden 


'  I'lie  ostensible  object  of  the  war  was  to  establish  the  principle  that  the  flag 
coviTiil  the  merchandise,  and  that  the  right  of  search  for  si.Mnien  who  have 
<lt'sert(i(l  is  inadmissible;  the  real  object  was  to  wrest  from  (Ireat  Hritain  the 
C;\naclaa,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Napoleon,  extinj^uish  its  Maritime  and  Colonial 
Hmpire.  —  Alison's  IILtory  0/ Europe. 


226 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\y\ 


I 


I 


I 


in 


r» 


of  this  defence  was  to  fall  on  the  Canadian  militia.  Her  fron- 
tier was  drawn  out  over  some  seventeen  hundred  miles.  To  guard 
Canada's  ^^  ^'^^  could  put  in  the  field  ijerhai)s  five  thousand 
readiness.  regular  troops.  But  the  provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower 
(Janada  had  together  a  population  of  over  three  hundred  thou- 
sand, —  a  small  number,  indeed,  compared  with  the  eight  million.-; 
of  their  enemies,  but  a  sturdy  stock  from  which  to  gather  fighters. 
Lower  Canada's  Legislature  promptly  voted  ^250,000  for  ihe 
war.  In  Upper  Canada,  destined  to  be  the  chief  battle  ground, 
there  was  a  stern  spirit  of  resistance.  Volunteer  battalions  were 
rapidly  formed  and  drilled.  But  here  and  there  thfougli<«ut  the 
province  were  bodies  of  disloyal  settlers,  —  Anuricans  who  had 
lately  crossed  the  border  in  search  of  better  lands,  and  who  wished 
nothing  better  than  annexation.  These  traitors  in  the  camp  gave 
Brock  some  uneasiness ;  but  they  proved  dangerous  only  to  the 
enemy,  whom  their  noisy  treason  grievously  misled.  Tiieir  pres- 
ence added  fuel  to  the  ardour  of  the  loyalists,  who  thronged  to 
Brock's  banner  till  arms  could  not  be  found  for  them  all. 

As  for  the  Indians,  not  only  those  well-tried  loyalists,  the 
Mohawks,  but  also  the  tribes  of  the  north  and  west  proved  faithful 
and  efficient  allies.    They  were  moved  by  good-will  toward  Canada, 

who  had  treated  them  justly.     Thev  were  moved  ul  .0 
The  loyal 
Indians,  and    by  hatred  of  the  border  Americans,  from  whose  greed 

they  had  long  been  suffering.     Among  these  Indians 

was  one  whose    memory  Canada  holds  in  highest   honour,  the 

brave   and    humane  Tecumseh,'^  chief  of  the  Shawanoes.     This 

chieftain,  after   the  defeat  of  his   people    by  the  Americans  at 

Tippecanoe,  in  Indiana,  had  led  the  tribe  northward  into  Canada. 

Brave,  wise,  and  faithful,  his  majestic  figure  towers  throughout  the 

conflict  with  ever-growing  distinction,  till  it  falls  in  the  shameful 

defeat  of  Moravian  Town. 

73.    1812.    The  American  Plan  of  Campaign. — The  American 

plan  of  attack  was  threefold.     An  "  Army  of  the  North,"  under 

1  Tlic  story  of  this  able  leader  is  well  told  in  the  drama  of  "  Tecumseh,"  by 
the  Canadian  poet  Charles  Mair, 


aJA\ 


ly 


GENERAL  BROCK. 


227 


General  Dearborn,  was  to  set  out  from  Albany  and  move  against 
i  Montreal.     An  "  Army  of  the  Centre,"  under  General  Van  Rens- 

selaer, was  to  strike  the   Niagara  frontier.     And    an 

The  American 
"  Armv  of  the  West, "  under  (General  Hull,  the  governor   plan  of  triple 

attack, 
of  Michigan  Territory,  was  to  operate  from  Detroit  and 

overrun  the  western  sections  of  Upper  Canada.  It  is  a  noticeable 
fact  that  our  eastern  frontier,  all  open  and  hard  to  defend,  was  left 
uiithreatened,  though  lying  next  to  those  populous  and  warlike 
tunuiiunities  of  New  England  which  had  so  often  signalized  their 
prowess  on  these  same  borders.  For  this  we  had  the  resolute 
forbearance  of  the  New  Englanders  to  thank.  Their  state  gov- 
ernments would  take  no  part  in  the  war.  As  we  shall  see  later, 
there  was  plenty  of  privateering  from  the  New  England  ports 
(as  there  was  also  from  Nova  Scotia),  but  with  such  unofficial 
ventares  the  state  governments  had  nothing  to  do. 

Tiie  soul  of  the  Canadian  d.efence  was  General  Brock.'  Before 
he  came  tlie  loyalists  had  watched  the  approaching  storm  firmly, 
indeed,  but  with  litde  hope  of  anything  less  than  ruin.  General 
Brock,  who  had  been  ten  years  in  Canada,  was  thor-  ^"^^^^ 
oughly  Canadian  in  sentiment,  and  though  accustomed  to  the 
command  of  British  regulars  he  understood  and  appreciated  the 
militia.  The  militia,  in  return,  adored  him.  Honest,  brave,  kind, 
untiring,  and  sagacious,  he  was  worthy  of  the  enthusiasm  which 
his  nnme  evoked.  Canada  does  well  to  honour  him  as  one  of  her 
national  heroes.  As  soon  as  he  took  charge,  a  new  spirit  sprang 
up  in  the  scant  battalions  of  Upper  Canada,  now  face  to  face  with 
so  grave  a  trial. 

The  war  began  in  the  west.     Hull,  with  an  army  of  twenty-five 
huinlred,  crossed  over  from  Detroit  to  Sandwich,  and   capture  of 
fonnd  himself  among  a  quiet  farming  people  of  French  Mackinaw. 
descent.      Here  he  issued  a  boinbastic  proclamation,  promising 
"  peace,  liberty,  and  security  "  to  all  who  would  accept  American 

1  Is.iac  Brock  was  born  in  Guernsey  in  1769.  He  was  therefore  forty-three 
years  old  when  this  war  broke  out.  He  had  seen  service  and  won  honour  in 
Holland,  the  West  Inihes,  and  tinder  Nelson  at  Copenhagen.  He  came  to 
Canada  in  1802,  and  identified  himself  heart  and  soul  with  Canadian  interests. 


I 


228 


.4   HISTORY   OF  C.iA'ADA. 


( 


\ 


W^ 


rule,  but  denouncing  the  horrors  of  war  upon  those  who  should  be 
so  misguided  as  to  oppose  his  irresistible  advance.  Hrock  issued 
a  couutiM-  proclamation,  assuring  the  people  that  (ireat  l)ritain 
would  deft-'iid  her  subjects,  and  tliat  Canada,  knowing  her  diuv 
toward  herself  and  toward  her  sovereign,  would  neither  be  bullied 
nor  seduced.  In  the  interval  between  the  two  proclamations ' 
fell  tlie  first  stroke  of  the  war,  and  it  was  one  of  good  omen  for 
Canada.  The  American  fort  of  Michilimackinac,  commanding, 
as  in  old  days.  Lake  Michigan  and  the  north-west  tribes,  was 
taken  by  Captain  Roberts  with  a  handful  of  7' oy agents  and  xc^w- 
lars.  I'liis  little  force,  less  than  two  hundred'-'  in  all,  marched 
suddenly  from  F^ort  St.  Joseph,  forty  miles  to  the  north,  crossed 
to  Mackinaw  Island,  and  captured  without  a  struggle  the  Ameri- 
can furt  with  its  garrison  of  seventy-five  regulars.  This  was  an 
important  achievement,  as  it  filled  the  Indians  with  fervour,  and 
e.xposcd  Hull  to  an  attack  irom  the  rear. 

Hard  on  the  news  of  this  success  came  that  of  Hull's  retreat 
ufion  Detroit.  He  had  been  checked  by  Colonel  Proctor  with 
Capture  of  '^  corporal's  guard  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and 
Detroit.  jjy  'I'ecnmseh  with  his  Shawanoe  bands.     Tecumseh 

had  intercepted  and  scattered  a  detachment  of  Americans  with 
provisions  and  letters  for  ibill  :  and  this  slight  reverse,  together 
with  the  refusal  of  the  Canadians  to  hail  him  as  their  delivenr, 
had  discouraged  the  doughty  general.  .^\s  soon  as  the  Canadian 
side  of  the  river  was  thus  freed  from  the  enemy,  Proctor  sent 
a  i)arty  across  to  follow  up  Tecninseh's  stroke;  but  lie  suffered  a 
sharp  re[)ulse  at  Hrownstown,  where  the  Americans  were  led  by  a 
brave  and  capable  officer,  one  Colonel  Miller.  Before  the  dilatory 
Hull  could  second  this  success.  Brock  was  upon  him.  The  Cana- 
dian general  h;id  left  York  with  his  little  army  on  August  6th,  anil, 
traversing  the  lengtli  of  Lake  Erie  in  oj)en  boats,  reached  Amherst- 


1  Hull's  piot;lani:ifion  was  issued  on  July  J 2th,  Brock's  on  July  22n(l.  Mioliili- 
mackiiiac  w.is  captured  on  Uily  I7tl). 

'-'  Ri  iKMts  was  aidetl  in  hi;-  I'nferprise  l)y  ,-!  i;,iilant  French  Canadi.iii,  Toiissaint 
Pothiet,  aycnt  ul  the  Noi  th-wei,i  Company,  wiio  was  in  Fort  tji.  Joscpli  at  the  time. 


1i^ 


I « 


CAPTUKE    OF  DETROIT. 


22C) 


burg  on  the  13th.  As  we  have  seen,  the  letter-bags  of  the  enemy 
had  been  captxired  ;  and  from  the  contents  of  these  Brock  learned 
that  Hull's  force  was  thoroughly  dispirited.  His  own  force,'  m- 
chuling  the  six  hundred  Indians  under  Tecumseli,  was  little  more 
than  half  that  of  his  adversary  ;  but  he  resolved  to  strike  at  once, 
before  tlawn  of  .August  i6th  he  crossed  the  river  and  marched  on 
Detroit.  The  Americans,  deserting  their  outposts,  retired  into  the 
main  fort ;  and  when  Brock  was  on  the  point  of  storming  the  works, 
to  his  astonishment  they  cnpitulated.  By  the  articles  of  capitula- 
tion thirty-three  cannon,  twenty-five  hundred  troops,  and  the  whole 
of  Michigan  Territory,  passed  into  Canadian  hands.  The  moral 
effect  was  tremendous.  The  wildest  enthusiasm  flamed  across  the 
province,  and  the  name  of  Brock  thrilled  every  Canadian  breast. 

Meanwhile  Canada  was  Uireatened  by  the  armies  of  the  Centre 
and  the  North.  Brock  was  hurrying  back  to  fall  upon  Van  Rens- 
selaer, when,  much  to  his  disgust,  he  was  met  on  Lake  Erie  by  the 
news  of  an  armistice.  Sir  George  Prevost,  the  com-  xhe  armis- 
mander-in-chief  at  Quebec,  had  forl)idden  all  further  *"^^" 
hostilities  on  the  part  of  Canada.  England  fondly  hoped  that  her 
repeal  of  the  "  Orders-in-Council"  would  lead  Congress  to  recall 
its  declaration  of  war.  But  Congress  had  no  such  thought.  The 
armistice  was  briskly  used  to  strengthen  the  American  position  ; 
while  Brock  was  left  chafing  in  forced  idleness,  and  Canada  lost  a 
golden  opportunity.  The  autumn  wore  on  till  the  American  army 
at  Niagara  had  swelled  its  ranks  to  a  total  of  six  thousand,  regulars 
and  militia.  Brock,  with  his  headquarters  at  Fort  George,  had 
less  than  a  thousand  men  —  Canadian  militia,  with  a  few  companies 
of  regulars,  and  a  band  of  Mohawk  allies.  At  this  juncture  a 
party  of  one  hundred  American  seamen  performed  a  daring  feat,  in 
the  capture  of  two  armed  Canadian  brigs  which  were  descending 
Lake  Erie  laden  with  spoils  of  war  from  Detroit.  The  fame  that 
justly  accrued  to  these  plucky  Yankee  mariners  fired  their  coun- 
trymen at  Niagara  with  zeal.     They  clamoured  to  be  led  on  at 

1  Besides  these  six  hundred  Indians,  Brock  had  three  hundred  and  thirty  regu- 
lars and  four  hundred  Canadian  militia. 


11! 


li 


.  ; 


f 


230 


^1    /J/S70A'V  OF  CAJVAD.4. 


once  to  the  conqufjst  of  Canad;i.  Their  general  yielded,  and  led 
them  on  —  nr)i  to  conquest,  however,  but  to  the  stinj:;ing  defeat 
of  Qiieenston  Heights. 

The  Ameriraii  attack  on  (^)iieenston  took  place  on  October 
The  American  'J^'b  i8)2.  'I'he  heights  are  a  part  of  the  lofty  and 
Quelnston  beautiful  plateau  through  which  the  Niagara  River  ha^ 
death  of'  *°**  cleft  its  path  from  Erie  to  Ontario.  'I"he  panorama 
Brock.  j-|.^j|.j^  (_|.|g  summit  is  one  of  tranquil  loveliness,  a  benign 

and  fruitful  expanse  which  has  been  called  the  garden  of  Canada. 
But  not  of  peace  are  the  memories  of  Queenston. 

IJef ;re  daybreak  Van  Rensselaer  led  the  vanguard  of  his  army 
across.  The  opposite  shore  was  defended  by  two  companies  of 
the  49th  regiment,  with  two  hundred  men  of  the  York  Volunteers. 
A  sound  of  many  oars  in  the  gloom  aroused  the  defenders.  The 
Canadian  battery,  of  one  i8-pounder  stationed  on  a  spur  of  the 
heights,  opened  fire.  But  under  cover  of  a  heavier  fire  from  their 
own  side  the  invaders  pressed  on,  till  they  had  thirteen  hundred 
men  in  line  of  battle  on  the  Canadian  shore.  They  dashed  for- 
ward c(jurageously  ;  but  the  Canadians,  not  daunted  by  superior 
numbers,  held  their  ground  with  stubborn  valour.  At  the  same 
time  a  dashing  American  officer.  Captain  Wool,  leading  his  de- 
tachment up  an  almost  inaccessible  path,  gained  the  crest  of  the 
heights  and  turned  his  fire  on  the  rear  of  the  battery.  Then  Broc  k, 
roused  by  the  noise  of  the  firing,  rode  u[)  from  Fort  George.  Other 
American  battalions  had  by  this  time  joined  their  comrades  on 
the  height.  There  was  the  key  of  the  situation.  Straight  up 
the  steep  Brock  led  his  charging  line,  in  the  face  of  a  scathing 
fire.  Waving  his  sword  toward  another  quarter  of  the  field,  he 
shouted,  "  Pu.ih  on  the  brave  York  Volunteers."  Tiie  words  wfre 
scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  he  fell,  shot  through  the  breast. 
His  men  raced  forward  to  avenge  him,  but  their  ranks  withered 
uniler  the  fire  from  the  crest ;  and  the  gallant  McDonell,  at  the 
head  of  those  "brave  York  Volunteers,"  shared  the  fixte  of  his  wor- 
shipped chief.  Then  the  Canadians  paused,  holding  the  approaches 
to  the  height,  and  lying  in  covert  behind  the  houses  of  the  village ; 


a  I 


I  i 


QUEENSTON  HEIGHTS. 


231 


while  the  Americans,  who  had  suffered  severely,  rested  on  their 
post  of  vantage.  Their  general,  Van  Rensselaer,  was  disabled  ; 
and  now,  though  they  had  bravely  carried  and  bravely  held  the 
lu'ighls,  their  position  was  a  perilous  one.  About  fifteen  humlred 
men  were  cooped  up  on  the  narrow  summit ;  behinil  them  the 
deep  flood  of  the  Niagara  washing  the  base  of  two  hundred  feet 
of  precipice,  before  them  the  angry  Canadian  battalions  burning 
to  avenge  their  chief.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  to  be  sure, 
were  some  four  thousand  American  militia ;  but  these,  perceiving 
the  kind  of  reception  their  companions-in-arms  had  met,  had 
grown  careless  about  the  conquest  of  Canada.  They  remein- 
bertd  only  that  their  duty  as  New  York  militia  icipiired  them  to 
remain  on  the  soil  of  their  own  state. 

On  the  death  of  Brock  the  chief  command  fell  on  General 
Roger  Sheaffe,  who  was  at  Fort  George.  About  noon  he  arrived  at 
(>ueenston,  bringing  with  him  three  hundred  regulars  General 
of  the  41st  and  49th  regiments,  two  com[)anies  of  Lui-  defeats  the 
cohi  militia,  two  hundred  Chippewa  volunteers,  and  a  g^enston** 
small  band  of  Six  Nation  Indians.  These  additions  "«'£*>t8- 
swelled  the  Canadian  force  to  nearly  one  thousand  men,  —  a 
motley  throng,  but  of  vengeful  and  eager  mettle.  Ringing  the 
American  position  with  a  circle  of  converging  fire,  Sheaffe  led  his 
me;i  forward.  The  Americans  fell  fa>l.  Their  brave  captain, 
\\'ool,  was  killed,  and  his  place  was  taken  by  \Vinrield  Scott,  after- 
wards to  gain  fame  in  the  annals  of  American  warfare.  The 
Americans  lay  down  and  reserved  their  fire  till  the  fatal  lines  were 
within  forty  yards  of  their  muzzles.  Then  they  fired  as  one  man, 
a  deadly  and  shattering  volley,  —  but  it  was  powerless  to  stop  the 
Canadian  onset.  In  that  grim  chaire  the  Americans  were  swept 
lYom  the  summit.  Clinging,  scrambling,  sliding,  falling,  the  sur- 
\ ivor-  made  their  way  over  the  brow  of  the  precipice,  and  on  the 
narrow  ledges  between  cliff  and  flood  they  surrendered  uncondi- 
tionally, —  eleven  hundred  prisoners  of  war.  The  battle  was  one 
at  whose  story  (Canadian  hearts  beat  high ;  but  in  the  death  of 
Brock  its  triumph  was  dearly  bought. 


\i. 


lil 


II 


ii 


■1 


232 


//  /r/sTOA'y  or  caa^.i/m. 


During  the  fuiural  of  tlu'  slain  Icailcr  ihe  minute  guns  of  I'ort 
(leorge  were  answcrml  gun  for  gini  fri)Mi  the  American  batteries  of 
I'ort  Niagara,  while  the  Aiuerif  an  Hag  flew  at  half  mast,  —  a  chiv- 
alrous tributj  to  an  illustrious  foe.  On  the  Heights  of  (^)ue(.ns- 
ti)n  now  rises  a  tall  shaft  of  st(;nc  in  Hrock's  memory,  whii  h 
serves  also  as  a  far-seen  remembrancer  of  Canadian  patriotism. 
The  sight  of  it  should  bring  a  blusli  to  the  cheeks  of  those  C!ana- 
dians  whose  d.')ctrine  proclaims  their  patriotism  a  matter  of  dollars 
and  cents.  The  nnn\e  of  (jueenston  and  the  name  of  liroc  k  arc 
blended  in  our  hearts,  Ne\ertheless  it  must  not  be  forgotten  th  u 
the  battle  \\'ii.>  fuially  won  by  Sheaffe,  who  got  a  baronetcy  for  his 
reward. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  lower  end  of  L;d<e  Ontario,  the  Americans 
were  strengiheuiiig  their  position  ami  arming  a  fleet  at  Sackett's 
Harbour.  This  stjuadron  attacked  Kingston,  but  being  worsted 
by  the  (.'anadi  m  guns,  drew  off.  Vs  they  cleared  Kingston  hai- 
TheSciioonti  l->i>'ir  there  was  enacted  a  thrilling  episode  of  Cana- 
Sinifov  jj^i^  daring.     The  schooner  Sinicoe,  Captain  Richard- 

son commanding,  bound  for  Kingston  from  Niagara,  sailed  iiUo 
the  midst  of  the  enemy,  never  dreaming  of  a  hostile  sail  so  near 
her  destination.  The  Siincoe  was  totally  unarmed,  the  only  weapon 
on  board  being  a  solitary  musket.  She  was  completely  headed  oil 
by  the  .-Vmerican  fleet.  But,  hopeless  as  the  case  seemed,  the 
gallant  Ricnardson  would  not  surrender.  Crowding  on  all  sail, 
and  with  the  wind  behind  her,  the  mad  little  craft  dashed  ^traij^ht 
upon  the  fleet.  She  took  the  broadside  of  every  ship  as  she  Hew 
past.  For  four  miles  she  ran  the  tc:rrible  gauntlet,  her  sails  ami 
bulwarks  riddled  with  round-shot,  till  at  last,  in  shoaling  water 
just  outside  the  port,  she  sank  with  a  big  shot-hole  below  he; 
water  line.  As  she  went  down  the  crew  cheered  recklessly,  ami 
fired  their  one  musket  in  gay  defiance  ;  antl  their  cheers  were 
retichoed  by  their  countrymen  on  shore.  lioats  darted  out  in 
haste  to  rescue  the  heroic  crew;  and  the  Simcoe,  raised  from  her 
temporary  grave,  was  soon  again  ploughing  the  blue  wa'ers  of 
Ontario. 


I  w 


j-iirf>nh  iirt  win  M 


BATTLES   ON   Till:   SEA. 


233 


Van  Rensselaer,  wounded  at  Qiieenston,  had  been  succeeded 
by  (leiieral  Smyth,  a  notable  warrior  in  words  and  pioclarnations. 
Smyth  set  out  upon  the  postponed  cou'iuest.  He  did  General 
not  lead  his  men  across,  however ;  he  thought  it  safer  ,u'?eatcdat 
to  send  them.  They  were  twenty  five  hundred  stron^^  Chippewa. 
but  between  ('hippewa  and  Fori  Frie  they  were  met  and  rouf^hly 
iiaiidled  by  Colonel  Bisho[)p,  with  a  fon*-  of  six  hundred  regu- 
iirs  and  militia.  Surprised  and  vexed  to  see  that  his  opponents 
wcie  not  frowned  down  by  his  numlxMs,  Sm)'th  sent  a  llag  of 
truce  to  Fort  Erie  recjuesting  the  surrender  of  tiiat  stronghold. 
(,\tlonel  Bishopp,  the  rommandant,  with  the  utmost  politeness 
declined  ;  whereupon  Smyth  withdrew  both  his  troops  and  his 
reijuest,  and  went  into  winter  quarters  !  His  men  were  so  dis- 
gusted and  indignant  at  his  folly  that  a  whisper  of  tar  and  feathers 
began  to  circulate  in  the  camp.  The  general  di  .erectly  threw  up 
his  command  and  retired  to  safer  neighbourhoods. 

Thus  ended,  very  gloriously  for  Canada,  the  land  operations  of 
the  campaign  of  1812.  I'ut  these  successes  were  overshadowed 
by  a  series  of  British  reverses  on  the  sea,  which  filletl  Anieiica 
with  such  exultant  pride  that  she  forgot  her  humilia-  Naval  duels 
tions  on  the  lakes.  In  five  naval  duels,  four  of  which  o^rcrt^Britain 
took  place  in  the  latter  part  of  r8i2,  the  fifth  in  F'eb-  untted^ 
ruary  of  181 3,  England  was  defeated  on  the  ocean,  of  states, 
which  she  claimed  to  be  sovereign.  English  hearts  were  stunned 
at  the  disgrace ;  and  England's  enemies  everywhere  rejoiced, 
dreaming  that  her  maritime  supremacy  was  at  an  end.  But  the 
explauation  was  not  far  to  seek.  England  had  a  thousand  ships 
of  war  afloat,  serving  on  every  sea,  most  of  them  scarce  half 
inanned,  many  of  them  long  in  need  of  repair.  The  American 
navy,  si)eaking  by  comparison,  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  existed 
at  that  time.  It  was  represented  by  but  four  frigates,  so-called,  and 
eight  sloo])s  of  war.  These,  however,  were  all  new  ships,  of  a  ton- 
nage and  weight  of  metal  far  beyond  their  rating,  heavily  manudl 
with  picked  crews.  They  were  swift,  and  so  could  escape  into 
their  harbours  when  threatened  by  superior  force.     They  could 


234 


A  IlISTORY  01'   CANADA. 


IM 


,'■  ' 


\\ 


choose  their  own  time  for  fighting.  Wlien  they  fought,  there  is 
no  (luestioning  the  fact  that  they  fought  well,  as  to  both  courage 
and  seamanship  ;  but  in  every  one  of  these  five  contests  the  rc^uh 
was  a  foregone  conchision,  so  heavily  were  the  Hritisii  ovi-rinntchcd. 
Tiie  American  sliips  Constitution  and  United  States,  though  called 
44-gun  frigates,  carried,  the  one  58  guns,  the  other  54.  'Ihey  wen- 
two  feet  longer  thnii  the  largest  76-gun  ship  in  the  Ihitish  navy. 
Calling  theniselv< "  irigates,  they  were  fought  by  Hritihh  vessels 
which  should  never  have  iiresumed  to  join  battle  with  them.  The 
duels  were  as  follows:  In  August  the  Constitution  defeated  and 
sank  the  British  frigate  Gnr: rihe.  In  October  the  Anierii  ;iii 
sloop  IViisp  captured  the  British  sloop  Frolic.  In  the  same 
month  the  United  States  captureil  the  frigate  Macedonia.  In 
December  the  Constitution  sank  the  frigate yi/z^a.  And  in  I'eb- 
ruary,  1813,  the  American  sloop  Hornet  sank  the  English  sloDp 
Peacock.  The  first  of  these  contests  was  a  type  of  all  the  rest. 
The  Constitution  fresh  from  port,  the  Guerriere  just  returning  fnnn 
a  long  cruise,  with  foremast  and  bowsprit  sprung  ;  the  Constitu- 
tion with  5S  guns,  throwing  1536  lbs.  of  metal,  the  Gucrnhe 
with  48  guns,  throwing  only  1034  lbs.  of  metal  ;  the  Constitution 
with  a  crew  of  four  hundred  and  sixty,  and  a  tonnage  of  1 538.  the 
Guerriere  with  a  crew  of  two  hundred  and  forty,  and  a  tonnage  \A 
1092.  The  battle  was  fought  for  two  hours  at  close  quarters ;  and 
when  the  Guerriere  struck  she  had  lost  a  third  of  her  men,  and 
was  sinking.  The  Americans  did  themselves  and  their  British 
lineage  credit  in  the  battle;  bui  the  victory,  ur.dei  the  circum- 
stances, was  hardly  one  to  wondc  at.  And  the  otlier  victories 
were  similar,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  note.'  A  little  later,  as  we 
shall  note  in  the  next  section,  a  sea  fight  was  to  be  fought  on  more 
even  terms,  and  with  a  widely  different  result. 


1  Amkrican. 
Wasp. 

Guns 

Weight  of  metal  .... 

Tonnage     

Crew 


i3 
536  lbs, 
434 

135 


British. 

Frolic. 

Guns 18 

Weight  of  metal 524  lbs. 

Tonnage 384 

Crew 92 


'December  of  this  same  year    .s,. 
""Portant    or-'ani^aii.,,).      -n'  \      ']  '''''  "'''  '"-Kmnintr  of  an 
Upper  Cana.lu"  u-as  formed     ',  n;"^    ,  "f    ''"'""•'"^  ^^"^^'ety  of 
'it'stit,.te  families  of  (',„'  '7'"'"  ^^^"''^  ^<'^  ''"-' 

^'-  —'-1,  and  <,,    ;'   "f";  '"•  """"'^  ^'^  !°^'- 
-iery  raised  large  sun      b^h        ,    '   '''"'"•      ''''^'^   fe''"' 

''tattered  ,K,r,,  of  ti.e  en.j.irc  ^  '^''"''"^'^>'  '^'^'  ^videl. 

74.    The  Campaign  of  1813.-7,,  ,. 
nnv  battalions  were  enroll^  T,,  ,  ,   '         .  ^''^^'"'"i?  ^^'^^ks  of  ,«, 

^""'     'T^"^'-"    ^V^.e      ;      ::,;-'7'''--''-.ecredas 
•-^mon.   tl:e   n,-;v   troop.    w,re    ■!T  ^ ''''""'"^•"t 

«-yiriKhI:.nd..rs,ar.gi,n;,.^   '   ''^"7^^   ^^   ^''^n-   ^S:^^ 

<^^^"^^'-'y-     in  m';::;  ?;;;;;;;;;;;  Vo.ti.enrs,  under   CV>,onel 
'•eg.ment  of  New  Hr,,,,,,,,,  ,,,,,'       ":;^  -'-mpl.,..,  ,,  ,, 

-arched  on  snou-sboes  throu^ir  b  ^ u'^  '""^^'"1'^"^  "Hth,  who 
''^^'^ieneton  and  Qneb.-c.  In  1':''"'"^  '^''''  ''^>'  l>etween 
P^'^ty  fron.  Halifax,  oOieers     nd  "''^   ^""'■^^^'-'   '^^  -small 

'-'^ '--o  Ki^^stonLt  ;::;•' ^'7 '^^'^^ 

^WPu.g  the   fleet  on    r.ke   OnS     T^f""^"^--^  -^^ 
^~~.  ;        ^^  ^^'''^^  "^nv  about 


Guns  . 


)^'f:«iit  of  metal  .'.'"'"        ■^'* 
lonnaee  1728  lbs. 


lonnage 


CJiins 


('onstUution. 


'53^ 
474 


Cuns  .    .        '^^''''^^n.an. 

>}^t'i«l,f  of  nletal  ."     "     "     '     ' 
Jonnage      .     _          "    "     ' 
Crew  .     .         


44 
105^  ll)S. 
io8t 

254 


\Veiglif  of  metal ^^ 

'I'onn.iL'e  ■    ■    ■    •     ^536  lbs. 


iDiin.ige 
Cretv 


films  . 

)\'fiRlit  of  metal 
'oiinage 
f-'rew  . 


//ofnet. 


1538 
460 

20 

594  lbs. 

460 

162 


44 
1016  lbs. 


i^  '7nva. 

(jiins  .     .     _ 

Weight  of  metal  "     "     '     "     ' 
(C'-^''''     and     tonnage     no,' 
known  to  vvrirer.) 

p.,,^  Peacock. 

"juns  .    ,    _ 

W'-'ight  of  metal  .""■"■  '^ 

Tonnago      .  384  lbs. 

Crew  .     .     .' 386 

■     •  xio 


236 


A    HISTORY   OF   CANADA. 


\    \ 


i    .  I 


thirteen  thousand  American  troops  at  Plattsb'irg,  n(\der  General 

DearlK'n,  threatening  the  approaches  to  Montreal'.     To  oppose 

this  army  Sir  (ieorge  Prevost  had  but  tliree  thous.  v  \  men.     At 

Sackett's  Harbour  lay  t-.venty-t\vo  hundred  Americans,  with  five 

thousand  more  on  Lake  Champlain  to  back  them  ;  while  the  (\\n:\- 

dian  frontier  opposite,  from  Kingston  to  Prescott,  had  but  fifteen 

hundred   detenders  in  all.      The  Niagara   frontier,  defended  by 

twenty-three  hundred  of  our  troops,  was  menaced  by  five  thousand 

of  llie  enemy.     In  the  weut,  Detroit  and  Amherstburg  were  held 

by  Colo.iel   Proctor  with  a  force  of  about  twenty-two  hundrea. 

Pn  ctor  was  opposed  by  an  American  force  slightly  smaller,  but  o{ 

high  quality,  consisting  in  the  main  of  Kentucky  riflemen.     It  was 

led  by  General  Harrison,  the  victor  of  Tippecanoe.     Here,  where 

they  were  afterwards  to  win  their  chief  success  of  the  war,  the 

Americans  seemed  at  first  doomed  only  to   disaster.     Harrison 

had  advanced    half  of  his  army,  imder  General  Winchester,  to 

Frenchtown  on  the  River  Raisin,  when  Proctor,  seeing  the  enemy 

divided,  attacked  in  force   (Jan.  22,   1813).     The  battle  v.-as  a 

fierce  one.     These  Kentucky  Americans,  though  heaA'ly  uuinum- 

ber  xl,  were  well  led  and  knew  Ikjw  to  fight.     Not  till  nearly  half 

their  number  were   dead    or   disabled    did    they  lay  down  their 

arms,  and  surrender  five  hundred  prisoners  of  war,  with  stores 

and  ammunition,  into  the  hands  of  our    little  army.     P'or  tiiis 

victory  Proctor  was  made  a  brigadier-general. 

The  next  imjwrtant  events  of  the  campaign  took  place  further 

east.     The    Americans,  crossing    the   St.   Lawrence   on   the   ice, 

made  a  raid  on  Hrockville,  sacked  the  houses. 
The  capture  ... 

otogdens-       wounded   a  sentry,  and   carried    i-fl    fifty-two  of  ilu' 

burg.  ^  .  ,    . 

peaceful  inhabitants  as  prisoners.  This  act  was  of 
no  importance  in  itself,  but  it  led  to  a  brilliant  reprisal.  Oppo- 
site the  Canadian  village  of  Prescott  lay  the  American  fortifiiNl 
town  of  Ogdensburg,  well  armed  and  garrisoned,  with  eleven  guns 
and  five  hundred  troops.  The  St.  Lawrence  between  Ogdensburg 
and  Prescott  was  frozen  over,  and  on  the  level  surface,  near  their 
own  shore,  the  Canadian  companies  were  wont  to  drill.     On  the 


O  GDRA'SB  UR  G   S  TO  RMF.D. 


-\37 


morning  of  the  zand  I'ebrnary  CoUjiiel  Macrlonell  iod  a  force  of 
four  hundreJ  and  eighty  men,  with  two  field-oicccs,  out  upon  the 
lee,  and  began  the  customary  evolutions.     Soivie  of  the  Americans 
on  the  Ogilensburg   ramjXTrts  thought  this  )il,iy  looked  unu'-ually 
like  serious  work  ;  but  dieir  <•  immander,  laughing  at  die  idea  of 
his  strong  position  being  threatened  with  so  weak  a  force,  went  on 
with  his  breakfast.     Suddenly  the  Canadians,  having  work-."!  then- 
wav  to  mid-nver,  made  a  fierce  rush  upon  the  town.     The  Ameri 
cans,  awaking  to  their   danger,  met  theui  with  volleys  of  can- 
non and  musketry,  but  could  not.  stop  their  advance.     At   th.e 
point  of  the  bayonet  they  i;arried  the  town,  the  garrison  retreat- 
ing into  the  woods  behind,  with  a  loss  of  seventy-five  in  killed  and 
wounded,  eleven  cannon,  large  military  stores,  ami  four  armed 
ships  which  were  burnt  as  they  lay  in  the  harbour.     In  the  honour 
of  this  exploit  many  parts  of  the  empire  had  share  ;  for  the  victo- 
ri(jus  band  was  made  up  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  Juiglish  regu- 
lars, forty  men  of  the  Royal  Newfoundland  reginient,  and  three 
hundred  and  twenty  Canadian  militia,  of  whom  some  were  Oljn- 
garry  Higldanders  and  some  French  of  the  St.  Lawrence.     New 
I'runswick,  too,  was  represented.     The  right  wing  of  the  attack, 
which  charge.'  siraight  in  the  teeth  of  the  main  battery,  was  led 
by  a  son  o*"  Ne>v  Brunswick,  Captain  Jenkins  of  the  Glengarries. 
The  honour  of  this  deed  was  not  tarnished  by  any  robbery  or 
violence,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Americans  had  ruthlessly 
plundered  Brockville.    Macdonell  would  not  let  his  followers  help 
themselves  to  so  much  as  a  twist  of  tobacco  ;  and  he  even  paid 
the  .'\merican  teamsters  J»54.oo  a  day  for  their  labom-  in  h  uiling  the 
military  stores  across  to  Prescott. 

The  American  fleet,  equi))ped  in  haste  by  Commodore  Chaun- 
'■ey,  now  controlled  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  few  ships  at  Kingston 
coulii  not  stir  outside  the  harbour.  T!ie  capital  of 
Upi)er  Canada,  the  little  town  of  York,  was  not  in  any 
^cuse  a  military  post.  It  had  no  defences  but  an  old  French 
earthwork  once  built  to  resist  the  Indians,  and  three  old  French 
giiii^,  withotit  carriages,  commanding  the  entrance  to  the  harbour. 


Little  York. 


238 


.-/   HIS'lORY   OF   CANADA. 


It  was  wholly  without  strategic  iinportaiK  c  ;  and  no  one  dreann'il 

that    it  would    be  re^'arded    by  the    Americans  as    an   obiet  r   oi 

attack.     It  \va^  a   mere   residence    village  of  about  a   thousand 

inhabitants,  open  at  all  ])oinls,  and  important  only  as  being  the 

seat  of  legislature,  —  which,  in  case  of  w^^k:(\,  could  be  established 

just  as  well  at  any  other  jioint. 

The  Americans,  however,  with  all  their  fleet  and  a  land-forci'  of 

twenty-five  hundred  men,  attacketl  the  defeni  eless  village.     Ceii- 

eral  Sheaffe  was  i)assing  throuyh  Voik  at  the  time,  with 
The  Amen-  i  o  . 

cans  sack         two  companies  of  the  King's  Own  ;  and  tlie  civilians 

York 

of  the  town,  old  men  and  boys,  mvalids  and  wotmded, 
whoever  could  for  a  brief  sj)ace  sln)ulder  a  musket,  rallieti  to  the 
defence,  till  .Sheaffe  fjund  himseh"  with  a  f^jrce  of  nearly  six  inui- 
dred  to  oppose  the  onslaught.  'I'hc  unequal  contest,  howe\er,  was 
soon  over  ;  and  Sheaffe  withdrew  toward  Kingston  while  the  vol 
unteers  covered  his  retreat.  The  Americans  then  took  possession 
of  the  town.  Numbers  of  them  swarmed  into  the  so-called  furl, 
wher(;  a  hamlful  of  militia  were  yet  attempting  a  vain  d<dence.  \\. 
this  juncture,  and  for  cause  never  explained,  the  powder  maga- 
zine blew  up.  involving  assailant  m\(\.  defeni'cr  in  a  common  ruin. 
After  this  catastrophe  York  surremlered,  the  militia  laid  down  their 
;irm>.  and  all  military  stores  were  given  up  to  the  conquerors.  P,y 
the  terms  of  tlie  surrender  the  town  was  to  be  |)rotected  ;  but  the 
enemy,  professing  to  believe  that  the  explosion  was  a  deliberate 
act  of  treachery  •-^y^  the  jjart  of  the  Canadians,  broke  the  agree- 
ment, burned  the  i)ublic  l)iiildings'  with  all  their  records,  j)illaged 
tl)e  church,  and  sacked  the  public  library,  'i'hey  showed  ti)(;ir 
taste  for  things  intellectual  by  carrying  off  every  book.  'I  hey  also 
looted  antl  destroyed  a  number  of  private  houses.  .'\  few  days  later 
the  invaders  withdrew.  During  their  absence  Sir  (leorge  Prevost 
had  attacked  their  headquarters  at  Sackett's  Harlxjur.  When  ap])ar- 
ently  on  the  point  of  capturing  this  important  post,  he  had  suddenly 
withdrawn,  to  the  bewildered  indignation  of  his  followers. 

'  If  is  said  thiit  a  periwijj,  whiili  tliey  found  hanj^iiifj  to  tlie  Speaker's  ciiair  in 
ilh-  I'.irliiimcnt  House,  was  mistaken  for  .i  human  sculp,  and  carried  off  to  servr  as 
proof  of  Canadian  barbarism. 


SrOV]-   CA'/'/'A". 


2.39 


stony  Cteek 


The  Americans  now  turm-d  their  anus  with  fresii  vigour  against 
t!u'  Niagara  frontier.  TIk'  victorious  fleet  and  army  under 
(iiauncey  sailed  from  devastated  York  to  attack  JMirt  (Jeorge 
and  the  little  town  of  Newark  that  lay  beneath  its  guns.  This 
post  was  held  by  Colonel  Vincent  with  thirteen  hundred  rnen, 
while  an  arn>y  of  some  six  thousand  threatened  it  from  „^  ^ 
ihc  Other  siiie  of  the  river.    The  Americans,  swarming   .uans  >ir;ven 

b.vck  from 

to  shore  under  cover  of  a  terrific  (ire  from  the  sliiiis,   Niagara  and 

Chippewa 
were  this  time  ably  led,  and  ti)ught  with  s|)irit.      Agau' 

and  again  they  were  repulsed  ;  but  at  length  Vincent  was  driven 
h.ick  with  heavy  loss  by  the  fire  from  ("hauncey's  ships.  The 
Canadian  general  called  in  the  troops  that  held  (-hipjnnva  and 
I'urt  Krie,  blew  u)"  the  ramparts  of  Fort  (}eorge,  and  retreated  to 
a  new  position  at  Beaver  Dam,  about  twelve  miles  from  Niagara. 
The  garrisons  of  Chippewa  and  I'ort  I'>ie  had  now  swelled  Vin- 
cent's force  to  sixteen  hundred.  The  Americans  pur- 
suing him  widi  a  force  of  twenty-five  hundred  men 
aii'l  eight  field-|)ieces,  he  continued  his  retreat  to  Burlington 
Hi  ights.  The  enemy  advance  1  to  a  stream  known  as  Stony 
('reek,  wht.j  they  encamped  for  the,  night. 

Relieved  from  immediate  pressure,  Vincent  sent  out  a  stri)ng 
ictniinoitring  party  uniler  Coloiu.l  llarvey.'  to  e.xamine  the  enemy's 
jiusition.  Finding  the  entrenchments  carelessly  guarded,  Harvey 
nvide  a  daring  .ittack  in  the  darkness.  The  American  soldiers, 
rudely  awakened,  sprang  uj)  about  their  glimmering  camp  fires 
and  stood  their  ground  bravely  for  a  time.  But  they  were  be- 
wildered and  without  discipline.  After  a  blind  struggle  they  were 
routed  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet;  and  their  two  generals. 
Minder  and  ('handler,  with  one  hundred  other  prisoners  ind  four 
tield-pieces,  fell  into  Harvey's  hands  (June  5th,  1813). 

\  lUcent  at  onc(!  followed  uj)  the  retreat  of  the  invaders,  and 
sent  a  small  advance  party  to  reoccupy  the  position  of  Beaver  I  )am. 
This  dangerous  duty  was  entrusted  to  Lieutenant  James  Fitzgibbon, 


•  Afterwards  Sir  Jolin  Harvey,  governor  id    New  Brunswick,  and  one  of  the 
liravcst  -.iiid  most  skilful  otTicers  in  the  service. 


«f 


240 


A    ///STONY   (}/''   CAA.'l/M. 


li 


V 


Beaver  Dam. 


with  but  thirty  Briti>-h  rt.'giilars  and  thirty  Mohawk  Indians.  A  k-w 
miles  to  the  rear,  where  now  stands  St.  Catherine's,  lay  Major  de 
Haren  with  two  hundred  men.  The  Americans,  smart- 
ing under  their  defeat,  ])lanned  to  surprise  this  outpost. 
One  Colonel  Hoerstler,  with  five  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  two 
field  guns  of  the  i4lh  United  States  regiment,  was  despatched 
with  great  secrecy  on  the  enterprise. 

In  spite  of  all  i)recautions,  however,  news  of  the  plan  got 
abroad.  It  reached  the  ears  of  James  Secortl,  a  wounded  Cana- 
dian militiaman  of  Queenston.  [Enable  himself  to  carry  the  alarm 
to  Fitzgibbon,  his  wife  undertook  the  perilous  and  difficult  errand. 

She  succeeded  ;  and  the  name  of  Laura  Secord  was 
Laura  Secord.  ,    ,     , 

written  high  among  those  of  Canada  s  heroines.     .'\t 

dawn  she  sot  forth,  eluding  the  hostile  sentry  by  pretending  to 
milk  a  cow,  which  she  gradually  drove  before  her  into  the  woods. 
Once  out  of  sight,  she  ran.  Through  twenty  miles  of  wild  forest 
she  forced  her  way,  now  startled  by  the  rattlesnake,  now  trembling 
at  the  cry  of  the  wolf,  till  late  in  the  day  she  was  stopped  by  the 
sentinel  Mohawks,  who  carried  her  before  Fitzgibbon  with  her 
tidings.  Heaped  with  praise  and  gratitude,  she  was  taken  to  a 
farmhouse  near  by  and  tenderly  cared  for. 

Fitzgibbon  at  once  sent  word  back  to  de  Haren.  Then  he 
threw  out  his  Indians  along  the  line  of  approach,  and  awaited  the 
attack.  .About  dawn  the  American  column  encountered  the 
Indians,  who,  by  firing  irregularly,  yelling  terrifically,  and  keeping 
well  out  of  sight,  managed  to  convey  the  impression  that  their 
numbers  were  formidable.  Hearing  the  noise  of  the  fight,  three 
voung  Canadian  militiamen  named  Kelly,  at  work  on  their  farm 
near  by,  ran  for  thei";  guns  and  hastened  to  the  scene.  They  were 
joined  by  seven  or  eight  more  muskets,  summoned  from  other 
farms  by  the  sound.  Hiding  i)ehin('.  trees  the  Canadians  (jjiened 
fire,  from  a  direction  in  which  no  attack  was  looked  fur.  The 
enemy  threw  out  skirmishers  and  pressed  on,  but  in  growing  con- 
fusion. The  front  of  their  column  became  disorganized.  Their 
commander  quite  lost  his  wits.     Suddenly  they  were  met  l>y  Fit;;- 


M 


gibbon  at  the  h'\id  aC  hie  ;    i  .   ,  .  "^^ 

Ho  >va.  toM  ,,y  ,,,,gi,|,„„     -        V    m,„,  „        ,^^^^,^^,^  ^_^_     ■ 

I  ''<=  I".li.-^n»,  in  ,|,e  „„„,,,  "  ••  ■■  «l«e  array  of  r„|  ,„  „/ 

«-'l*'S-knive.  and  horrors  nCi!;;^'  ^,f «'  --""ously,  „,  i 
-.1.  amen  kep,  ,„>  „,ei,  ,„^,^  .  ;'     ;>■■      I  l>'«e  eleven  Ca„a.lian 
Wt  :,„„se,f  e,urapped.     M,„, ,      "V'f"  "-.  --.     Boers,,., 
i.is  whole  force,     (.-itzgibi^n  „• ,         ,  '""■"'^'")'  »'"re,„lere,l 

O-^-.     Taking  ref.,ge  ' ,  po    e  ' rssT:™",' '  "°'-""'   ''>•  - 

long  l.rae  birsy  i„  ,,ra,vin„  „".;,,    ^P'  "'=  '■^'""i«'n  <./iieers 
l.i»t  de  Haren  arrive,!  withl' '  ""-7""*=^  "f  cnpi,u|a,i„„  •  ,  ,  ' 

'■";;;«>  .-'.e  aw^^rd  t.:;:  7;  r']-',f-"«.^  and  r.::!: 

After  this  stroke  (Jeneral   n      i  "•'       '•'>■ 

Ik:  -sueceeded  by  Cenera,  'i^oya  Z.^T"'  '"'  """"•■«"<).  I" 
';""'*"'  °f  Upper  Canada  wa  gi,^^  !  ^'  "'"»  •"""  'he  gov- 
«*<=  thus  superseded  both  She.  ffe  a„,l  V  ""  '^'  «°'"-"'«rg 

'«»  "'.aetion  along  the  Niag.rf,  ''"'■     ^'°'^^imc  there 

-«.l  raid  of  Colonel  a!      :     t"  n'  'r'"  ™'^  "^  '"-    " 
igLnst  the  American  post  of  J  "''"  ""''"••• 

Colonel  Ifeltopp's  attaek  on  ,he  .^!°      *'""""■  *'  -""^'bS* 
«  Blaek  Roek.     This  atta  k  '"'"  "•^'^''  ''™t   "■""■ 

;!-  "es,n,e.ion  of  valnab    1  ^^  7"^"='-^  »- -ti  I.  re,„lri„„  in 
Colonel  B^hopp,  a  br.ave  and   tl'ie        "i-^' Canada  the  l,£  ," 

-«'  --..;1  the  nnliiia  we^e  at . ,     7"  ""'"^  '°  '^^«">  ''-h  .;  ' 

About    ths    firn*.  /•  '-"''ita. 

"■^    time  LoiniTiodnrf.   r'u 
"^'^tfier  descent  on    th.        r         ^''^^""^^er  ^h  his  fle,., 

;-v'  b„rned  thTbitae'r"::::::  r™-"  =="«"  'S: 

I'"""--  "tores,  and  destrove, ' ..'.'"'  °  ^  ''"''"'■  ^"'^1 


'"'■-■  stores,  and  de     ,  ;,  '  '"'"=''  "^^  '>"'"'<■  and      '      "™= 

l"»««ht  into  <,„e.,tlon.  The    ,  ,"  "'""'  "'••"''  ''«'•        ""° 

^».  -.nforeed  by  the  an.  |,  ;,:';"  '"  '''"«»'™  ''"^onr  ha.l 
»"  -fty  British  sean.en      Si     r  '  •*   T'  ^'"  """'  '"«'  ''"n,!  ed 
^'"■-■"can  fourteen,  U,t  he  st  ei    7"   ''"'  ""'•'■  "■"  '^ips  ,„ 
'"■"«-"  .l.e»u.h  shore  of      '   ke";:,;,:^""/''  ''■"^'''  «"' 

'  •""'  '"^"  -■hallenged  Chaun- 


24: 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


i    i 


i    r 


1 
I 


J-  '  ! 


1 


cey  to  come  out  of  Niagara  and  fight,  Notliing  loth,  the  Ameri- 
can commodore  accepted  the  challenge.  Nor  was  the  contest  so 
uneven  as  might  appear  from  the  numbers  on  each  side,  for  tli,- 
Canadian  sliips  were  somewliat  larger  and  more  heavily  armed 
than  their  adversaries.  'The  Americans,  however,  were  nuicli  the 
suiierior  in  speed  and  in  the  range  of  their  guns,  and  they  foiled 
all  Sir  James's  efforts  to  bring  them  to  close  quarters.  During  the 
battle  two  of  the  American  vessels  were  captured.  'IVo  more 
were  upset  in  a  squall,  and  all  on  board  lost  save  sixteen  wlioin 
the  iJritish  Ixjats  ])icked  up.  After  these  losses  (..'hauncey  declined 
to  fight  it  out,  and  retired  under  the  guns  of  fort  Niagara. 

On   Lake  Krie,  however,  the  strife  for  naval  supremacy  had  a 

different  ending.     On   the  loth  day  of  September  the  Canadian 

fleet  of  six  ships,  under  Captain  Barclay,  fought  the 

Canadian  do-  '  jo 

feat  on  Lake  American  fleet  of  ten  ships,  under  Commodore  Perrv, 
Erie.  ' 

and  suffered  a  most  disastrous  defeat.    The  battle  was 

a  desperate  one,  and  Barclay  fought  with  stubborn  valour ;  but  in 

the  end  every  one  of  his  ships  was  taken  or  destroyed.     In  this 

case,  again,  the  battle  was  not  so  unecpial  as  would  appear  from 

the  numbers  on  each  side,  as  the  Canadian  ships  were  the  larger 

and  carried  the  heavier  broadsides. 

This  disaster  brought  another  on  its  heels.  Proctor,  at  Detroit, 
was  cut  off  from  his  supplies.  He  determined  to  give  up  Detroit, 
evacuate  the  western  country,  and  fall  back  on  Burlington  Heights. 
Dismantling  his  fortifications  and  taking  the  gims  with  him,  iie 
retreated  up  the  valley  of  the  Thames.  His  force,  including 
Tecumseh's  five  himdred  warriors,  numl)ered  between  thirteen  and 
fourteen  hundred.  He  was  followed  with  great  energy  by  Cleneral 
Harrison,  at  the  head  of  an  army  which  had  by  this  time  swelled 
to  over  three  thousand. 

And  now  c-ame  the  humiliating  defeat  of  Moravian  Town. 
Proctor  halted  his  army  before  Moravian  Town,  in  a  strong  posi- 
tion, with  the  current  of  the  Thames  on  his  left,  a  dense  cedar 
swamp  on  his  right,  and  a  front  of  only  about  three  hundred  yards 
to  defend.      The  swamp  was  securely  held  by  Tecumseh  and  his 


MORAVIAN   TOWN. 


243 


Inilians.    For  this  position  his  force  should  have  been  ample,  even 
if  ten  times  outnumbercMJ  by  the  enemy.     But  he  seems  to  have 

nciilected  the  most  ordinary  precautions  in  the  mat- 

*^  '  The  disaster 

tiT  of  scouts  and  skirmisliers.     Hy  fellin";  trees  in  his  of  Moravian 

.  Town. 

front  he  might  have  protected  himself  with  an  im- 
penetrable abatis ;  but  this  obvious  duty  he  neglected.  Harri- 
son's Kentucky  riflemen,  moving  with  great  swiftness,  were  upon 
him  before  he  realized  their  approach.  'l"he  Canadian  front  was 
shattered  at  the  first  rush.  The  battle  was  over  ere  well  begun, 
ami  Proctor  with  his  staff  was  in  full  flight  for  Burlington.  I'he 
troops  seemed  to  have  had  no  confidence  in  their  leader,  for  tiiey 
had  not  lost  a  score  in  killed  and  wounded  before  they  broke. 
The  Indians  alone  were  men  that  shamefid  day.  They  held  their 
ground  and  fought  heroically  when  their  white  allies  had  fled.  In 
the  wild  melt^e  the  lirave  Tecumseh  fell,  a  stroke  more  grievous 
than  the  defeat  itself.  The  victors  in  their  triumphant  hatred  dis- 
graced themselves  by  mutilating  the  body  of  the  dead  hero,  who, 
savage  though  he  was  called,  had  ever  set  them  an  examjjle  of 
humanity,  moderation,  and  justice.  Proctor,  for  his  conduct  on 
ti.is  sorry  occasion,  was  court-martialed,,  and  dismissed  from  the 
service. 

Some  slight  compensation  for  the  disasters  of  Lake  Erie  and 
Moravian   Town   was    granted    by    Fate,    meanwhile,   on    Lake 

Champlain.     The  Americans,  with  their  heavily  armed   „ 

■  '  •;  The  Kimle 

-^iDops-of-war,  Ea^le  and  Groivh'r,  commantled  the  and 
lake.  The  gate  of  Lower  Canada  was  barred,  as  of 
old,  at  Isle  aiix  Noix.  Here,  expecting  attack,  the  Canadian 
roimnander,  Colonel  Taylor,  equipped  three  small  gunboats  ;  and 
iiaving  no  sailors,  manned  them  with  soldiers  from  his  'egiment. 
Wlien  the  American  ships  attacked,  they  met  with  a  surprisingly 
hot  reception.  After  a  four  hours'  battle  they  were  both  captured. 
Soon  afterwards,  under  the  Red  Cross  of  England's  marine,  they 
swept  the  American  flag  from  the  lake. 

A  little  later  the  army  of  the  North,  the  iTiost  numerous  and 
liiihcrto  least  active  division  of  the  enemy's  forces,  made  a  double 


244 


//    If  [STORY   OF  CANADA. 


\   \ 


Ml 


movement  on  Montreal.  One  section,  consisting  of  seven  thou- 
sand men  under  ( l  en  oral  Wade  Hampton,  advanced  from  T^alie 
Chateau  (Jiiamphiin  to  the  (!hateaiignay  River,  with  the  inton- 

^"^^  tion  of  descending  tliat  stream  to  its  mouth  and  cross- 

ing thence  to  the  head  of  Montreal  Island.  The  oilier  sectioti, 
consisting  of  eight  thousand  men  under  (leneral  Wilkinson,  w.is  lo 
operate  from  Sackett's  Harbour,  atid  descend  the  St.  Lawrence  in 
boats  to  join  Hampton  at  1-achine.  To  hold  the  frontier  against 
Hampton's  advance  stood  a  scattert;d  force  of  about  sixteen 
hundred  men,  of  whom  three  hundred  and  fifty,  chiefly  i'Voncli 
Canadian  VoUigeurs  with  a  handful  of  ("deng.irry  Fencibles,  iunned 
a  corps  of  ohse.'vation  far  to  the  front.  This  body  of  troops 
was  under  the  cornnuand  of  the  brave  de  Salaberry,  a  member 
of  the  old  French  Canadian  nobkssc,  who  had  won  disiiiK  iioii 
fighting  I-lngland's  battles  in  foreign  lands.  De  Salaberry  had 
already  repulsed  an  attack  of  Hampton's  on  the  little  forest  out- 
post of  (jdelltown.  Now  he  hastened  to  throw  himself  in  the 
path  of  the  march  on  Chateauguay.  In  a  tract  of  difficult  forest, 
intersected  by  four  parallel  ravines,  with  the  river  on  the  left  ani 
a  swamp  on  his  right,  he  threw  up  his  defences.  Half  a  mile  to 
the  rear  was  a  ford  of  the  river,  whereat  he  posted  a  small  ])arty 
of  Beauharnois  militia,  supported  by  a  band  of  Glengarries  under 
Macdonell,  ihe  victor  of  Ogdensburg.  The  Americans  came  on 
in  two  ilivisions,  one,  under  (ieneral  Izzard,  attacking  in  frf)nt,  tiic 
other,  led  by  Colonel  Purdy,  moving  duwn  the  further  bank  of  the 
river  to  force  the  ford.  The  front  attack  was  hurled  ba<'k  in  con- 
fusion. Not  an  American  bayonet  got  inside  the  breastworks- 
All  through  the  fight  the  Canadian  buglers  kejit  blo.ving,  and  the 
menacing  brass  resounded  at  such  widely  sej)arate  points  that  liie 
invaders  thought  the  whole  ('anadian  army  was  belbre  tliem. 
Presently  the  attack  in  front  weakened.  That  on  the  ford,  mean- 
while, was  pressed  in  great  force.  The  defenders  fell  back  slowly. 
The  enemy  followed,  till  all  at  once,  reaching  a  bend  in  the  river, 
they  found  themselves  exposed  to  a  deadly  (lank  fire  from  de  S.il:i- 
berry's  lines.     They  broke  and  fled  back  into  the  bushes,  and  were 


H 


CUR  YSLEirS  J  ARM. 


245 


fired  upon  by  advancing  parties  of  their  own  men  who  mistook 
lliem  for  the  victorious  Canadians.  Tlien  wild  pani*;  seized  the 
invading  army;  and  the  path  of  its  flight  was  .strewn  witii  kiKip- 
sat  ks,  drums,  muskets,  and  ramp  eqiii|)age,  'Die  deteat  ol  the 
three  thousand  five  hundred  by  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  was 
ovorwhehning  in  its  completeness.  The  victory  of  Chateanguay, 
1(1  it  he  remembered,  was  a  victory  of  the  l''rench  Canadian 
militia,  led  by  their  own  officers  ;  and  it  was  perhaps  the  most 
^Knious  in  the  whole  course  of  a  war  which  brought  much  glory 
to  our  arms.' 

Cieneral  Wilkinson,  meanwhile,  was  lingering  at  Sackett's  Har- 
hour.  Not  till  the  3rd  oi  NovemLer  did  he  gel  his  army  under 
way.  In  a  tlotilla  of  three  hundred  batteaux,  escorted  Chrysler's 
by  gunboats,  he  began  the  descent  of  the  St.  Law-  ^*"" 
rcnce  ;  and  twelve  hundred  of  his  troops  marched  abreast  of  him 
down  the  south  shore  of  the  river.  When  well  beyond  the  batteries 
of  I'rescott  this  force  crossed  to  the  Canadian  side,  and  was  rein- 
forced till  its  ranks  numl)ered  something  under  three  thousand, 
('lose  on  the  heels  of  the  invaders  followed  a  force  of  -ught  hun- 
dred Ikitish  regulars  and  Canadian  militia  from  Kingston,  cease- 
K'ssly  harassing  their  march.  This  little  army,  a  mere  corps  of 
observation,  was  commanded  l)y  Colonel  Morrison,  and  accom- 
panied by  the  daring  Harvey,  victor  of  Slony  Creek.  A  little 
beyond  Williamsburg,  at  a  spot  wliose  name  is  one  of  the  unfor- 
)^ettable  names  of  our  history,  the  attacks  of  the  Canadian  skir- 
mishers on  the  American  rear  became  too  galling  to  be  borne. 
The  invaders  turned,  at  their  general's  orders,  to  "brush  away  the 
annoyance."  It  was  in  the  fields  of  "  Chrysler's  P'arm  "  that  they 
look  up  their  position,  and  angrily  faced  their  handful  of  tor- 
mentors. The  batde  took  place  in  the  afternoon  of  Nov.  12th. 
1m  spite  of  their  numbers  the  Americans  were  utterly  routed  and 
driven  to  their  boats.     Sick,  and  dejected  from  such  a  reverse, 


■  The  victors  of  Chateauguay  were  specially  honoured  by  I'jigland.  I'vc-ry 
soldier  engaged  was  decorated  with  a  medal.  De  Salaberry  hinisi-lf  was  knl^lUcd, 
!x'!ng  made  a  Commander  of  the  liath. 


I     , 


246 


A   JI/STORY    OF  CANADA, 


i:  f 


n 


'I 


!      I 


I  I 


>    1  I 


f    '■•*.. 


AVilkinson  pressed  on  ilown  tlic  river,  ex[)ecting  to  join  Hampton's 

forces.      At  Regis  he  heard  of  the  rout  of  Chateauguay.      The 

attack  on  Montreal  was  at  once  abandoned,  and  the  American 

army  went  into  winter  ([narters. 

The  closing  acts  of  the  campaign  of  1813  were  not  war,  but 

reprisal.     Jn   December,  (ieneral  Sir  George  Drnmniond  was  jjut 

in  command  of  the   forces   in   lJpi)er  Canada.     He  ordered  an 

attack  on   Fort  (leorge,  —  rather  nselessly,  as   I'ort  George  was 

commanded  by   Fort  Niagara  opposite,  and  was  therefore  of  no 

great  value  to  either  side.     On  the  ai.>proach  of  i!n- 
Reprisals  on      ' 
the  Niagara      C  anadian  cohmin   General    McClure  abantloned   tiic 

frontier.  ,  ■       ,  ^        <  ■  ■  ^  ,         , 

place  and  retired  to  the  American  side,  lint  before 
departing  he  left  a  legacy  of  hate  by  burning  the  town  of  Newark, 
and  casting  all  the  inhabitants,  old  and  young,  sick  and  well,  adrift 
in  the  storm  of  a  wild  December  night.  This  senseless  barbarism 
brought  swift  retribution.  The  angry  Canadians  crossed  the  ri\cr, 
stormed  Fort  Niagara,  burned  Lewiston,  burned  Buffalo,  uml 
wasted  the  whole  Niagara  frontier. 

To  turn  once  more  from  the  Lakes  to  the  sea,  we  find  tliat  the 
summer  of  this  year  brought  some  comi)ensation  lo  England  for 
the  maritime  disasters  of  181 2.  Early  in  June,  while  the  American 
frigate  Chesapeake  was  refitting  in  the  port  of  Boston,  the  British 
frigates  Shannon  and  Tenedos  appeared  off  the  harbour.  The 
Shannon,  a  fine  ship  carrying  52  guns,  manned  with  a  full  and 

well-drilled  crew,  was  commanded  bv  Captain  liroke, 
penifenaAthe   vvho  burned  to  wipe  out  the  humiliations  which  the 

Shannon.  •         i        /i  i         i  rr  i  l  r  i- 

British  nag  had  suriered  on  the  sea.  Sentliug  away 
the  Tenedos,  he  despatched  a  formal  challenge  to  Captain  Law- 
rence of  the  Chesapeake,  asking  for  "the  honour  of  a  meeting 
to  try  the  fortunes  of  our  llags."  Eawrence,  a  gallant  officer, 
accepted  with  enthusiasm.  On  June  nth  he  sailed  out  of  port, 
all  ready  for  battle  ;  and  in  his  wak'"  swarmed  gaily  the  pleasure 
boats  and  yachts  of  Boston,  eager  to  witness  another  triumph  over 
the  mistress  of  the  seas.  I'he  two  ships  were  well  matched,  each 
carrying  52  guns.     But  the  Chesapeake  had  a  small  advantage  in 


THE   SHANXON  AXP    THE    CHESAPEAKE. 


247 


weight  of  broadside,  in  tonnage,  and  tn  the  numbers  of  Iut 
crew."  'I'he  battle  was  desperate  but  brief.  Under  a  terrific  can- 
nonade froni  all  the  guns  \vhi(  h  they  could  bring  to  bear,  the  eager 
antagonists  closed.  The  moment  they  came  together  and  grappled, 
the  Shannon^s  crew  boardeil  their  foe,  swarming  over  the  bul- 
warks cutlass  in  hand,  swinging  across  from  yard-arm  and  rigging. 
At  the  head  of  his  men,  fighting  I'lercely,  Lawrence  fell  mortally 
wounded.  In  fifteen  minutes  I'rom  the  first  broadside  the  Chesa- 
peake's  flag  came  down  ;  and  the  Shannon  had  won  back  the  old 
prestige  of  England's  ships.  The  victorious  Itroke  sailed  away 
with  his  prize  to  Halifax  ;  and  there,  with  military  honours,  the 
slain  captain  was  brried.  At  the  tidings  of  this  triumph  a  chorus 
of  joy  went  uj)  from  English  tongues. 

To  the  provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Drunswick  the  cam- 
l);ugn  of  18 13  brought  no  great  actions,  though  the  stir  of  military 
preparation  kept  Halifax  excited  and  made  trade  brisk  tchoes  of  the 
throughout  the  neighbouring  counties.  Halifax  fur-  Maritime^' 
ther  profited  from  the  fact  that  prizes  cajnured  off  the  Pro^»"ces. 
American  coast  were  brought  into  her  port  to  be  sold.  Ameri- 
can privateers,  now  and  again,  swooi)ed  down  upon  the  coast, 
doing  some  damage.  Annapolis  in  i)arlicTilar,  so  surely  does  his- 
tory repeat  itself,  felt  the  weight  of  this  scourge.  Chester,  too,  was 
harried  more  than  once  ;  and  the  fertile  vale  of  the  Cornwallis 
was  raided.  But  all  the  damage  inflicted  by  privateers  -  was  far 
more  than  made  up  by  the  profits  of  the  contraband  trade  which 
our  seaboard  countrymen  carried  on  with  shrewd  diligence,     l^e- 


1  American. 
Chesapeake. 

(juns 52 

Weight  of  metal ii8on)s. 

Tonnage 1135 

(Jrew 376 


Bruish. 

S/iannon, 

Guns 52 

Weight  of  metal 1070  lbs. 

Tonnage 1066 

Crew 306 


-  In  Mahone  Bay  took  place  the  affair  of  the  W'uui,'-  Teazer.  This  noted 
.-American  privateer  was  chased  up  the  bay  by  two  British  vessels.  Overtaken  at 
last,  the  crew  fought  desperately;  hut  as  she  was  on  the  point  of  surrender  she 
was  blown  up,  and  only  eight  of  hor  men  escaped.  This  wholesale  destruction  was 
the  work  of  a  British  deserter,  who  knew  that  for  him  capture  meant  hanging,  and 
who  therefore  chose  to  fire  the  magazine. 


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248 


A   J II STORY  OF  CANADA. 


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ing  the  boldest  and  readiest  of  sailors,  moreover,  the  Nova  Sco- 
tians  and  New  Brunswickers  took  pattern  from  their  foe  ;  ami 
in  secluded  ports  of  the  Atlantic  and  Fundy  shore  were  fittt-il 
out  swift  privateers,  whose  successful  cruises  laid  die  Ibundaiion 
of  many  a  provincial  fortune. 

75.  The  Campaign  of  1814.  —  During  the  next  winter  reinforce- 
ments were  brought  into  Canada,  in  preparation  for  the  sharp  work 
that  seemed  to  threaten  on  the  opening  of  sj)ring.  In  Fel)ruary  a 
portion  of  the  8th  regiment  accomplished  the  i)ainful  march  from 
Fredericton  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  over  the  route  already  marked 
out  by  the  104th.  Hy  the  same  route  came  two  hundred  and 
fifty  British  seamen  for  service  on  the  Lakes. 

Though  the  autumn  advance  on  Montreal  had  been  so  rudelv 
checked,  the  Americans  had  not  relinciuished  their  plan  of  :nta'  k 
in  that  quarter.  About  the  end  of  March  thev  moved  from  Platts- 
burg  with  five  thousand  men,  crossed  the  Ijorder,  and  assailed  the 
Canadian  Canadian  ])osition  at  La  C^olle  mill.  The  position  \v,>s 
Ccfiie  mili,^*  a  strong  one,  and  was  held  by  Major  Handcock  with. 
vi(ftory  at^^"  about  five  hundred  men.  The  mill  was  a  massive  stone 
Chippewa.  structure  of  two  stories,  further  strengthened  by  heaw 
beams,  and  well  fitted  for  defence.  Against  this  small  outpost  Wil- 
kinson threw  his  whole  force.  After  several  hours  of  fighting,  in  the 
course  of  which  the  intrepid  little  garrison  showed  its  spirit  by  an 
audacious  sortie,  the  Americans  retired.  L^|)on  this  rebuff  W'ilkm- 
son  resigned  his  command  ;  and  the  Champlain  frontier  was  left 
at  peace  for  a  time,  while  the  centre  of  war  shifted  back  to  L'ltper 
Canada.  In  May  an  ex})edition  from  Kingston  captured  Oswesn 
and  destroyed  the  fort.  On  the  Niagara  frontier  the  Americans 
took  Fort  Erie,  thus  compensating  themselves  for  the  loss  of  Fort 
Niagara.  Our  little  army  in  this  district,  consisting  of  two  thou- 
sand men  with  a  few  field  guns,  was  now  under  command  of  (ien 
eral  Riall.  On  July  5,  18 14,  Kiall  attackeel  the  American  army 
of  thrice  his  strength,  near  Chippewa,  and  was  1)eaten  off  after  a 
hard  fight. 

Some  weeks  later.  General  Drummond  arrived  with  reinforce- 


LUNDY'S  LANE. 


249 


ments  ;  and  on  July  26th  was  fought  the  battle  (;f  Lundy's  l,;iiie, 

or,  as  the  American  historians  call  it.  nrummondville.     Lundy's 

Lane  was  the  most  hotly  contested  battle  of  the  war.      On  the 

("iiiiadian   side  were   some  two  thousand   eij^ht  hun- 

"  The  battle 

(ired  regulars  and  militia,  under  Cleneral  Drummond  ;   of  Lundy's 

Lane, 
while  the  Americans,  under  (leneral  Brown,  numbered 

about  five   thousand.     The  road    called   Lundy's   Lane,  running 
within  earshot  of  the  giant  cataract,  was  seized  by  Drummond 
at  the  beginning  of  the  battle,  and  formed  the  key  of  the  position. 
The  fight  began  at  five  in  the  afternoon.      It  was  a  'onfused  and 
desperate  struggle,  so  close   that  more   than  once  tiie  opposing 
cannon  were  thundering  muzzle  to  inu/zle.      The  green  lane  was 
heaped  with  dead  and  dying.     Once  the  foe  gained  possession, 
but  held  it  not  for  long.     Backwards  and  forwards  swayed  the 
(leatlly   grapple,   through    the    twilight,   then    through    the   dark. 
The  sky  was  thick  with  clouds,  but  at  times  a  white  finger  of 
moonlight  touched  wonderingly  the  scene  of  carnage.     Toward 
nine  o'clock  there  was  a  pause,  and  the  roar  of  Niagara  sounded 
heavily  over  the  sudden  hush.     Then  with  fresh  strength  and  fu.y 
the  matched  antagonists  sprang  at  each  other's  throats.      Till  near 
midnight,  with  varying  but  well-balanced   fortunes,  the  struggle 
went  on.     At  last  the  .Americans  retired  and  fell  back  on  their 
camp  at  Chippewa,  leaving  many  hundreds  of  dead  and  wounded 
on  the  field.     On  the  following  day  they  threw  their  heavy  bag- 
gage into  the  river,  and  tied  '  to  Fort  Erie,  destroying  the  Chip- 
pewa bridge  behind  them. 

Drummond  followed  the  American  retreat,  and  laid  siege  to 
Fort  Kiie  ;  biit  there  he  was  so  roughly  handled  by  the  enemy 

m  two  dashing  sorties  that  he  raised  the  siege  and  fell 

^  °  The  defeat  of 

bark  on  Chippewa.      In  this  position  the  two  armies  Prevostat 
,      ,  ,  .  ,  Plattsburg. 

watched  each  other  for  weeks,  with  no  important  move- 
ment on  either  side.    The  edge  of  battle  shifted  to  other  and  widely 

''  Some  American  historians,  vvlio  quite  ignore  Cliateausjuay  and  Chrysler's 
I'arni,  claim  Lundy's  Lane  as  an  American  victory.  Ii  is  hard  to  find  their 
i^ioimds  fo:  such  a  claim,  or  to  reconcile  it  with  this  Ijurninjj  of  bridges  and  cast- 
inj;  of  baggage  into  the  river. 


K  i 


U.i 


250 


^   IIIHTOKY  OF  CANADA. 


i! 


1! 


i 


separate  points.  In  August  an  American  expedition  went  northward 
and  attc.cked  the  fort  at  Mirhilimackinac.  The  enterprise  ended 
disastrously  for  them,  the  phuky  garrison  not  only  beating  back  its 
assailants  but  capturing  two  of  thtir  vessels.  In  September  Sir 
George  I'revost  undertook  the  reduction  of  Plattsburg,  the  Ameri- 
can headtpiarters  on  I-ake  Champlain,  and  failed  ignominiously. 

This  disaster  came  just  when  great  things  were  expected  of 
Prevost.  England  and  her  allies  had  triumphed  in  the  Old 
Workl.  Napoleon  had  been  dri\en  from  the  throne  of  France 
to  the  narrow  isle  of  I-^lba.  The  power  of  England  was  free  to 
move  in  America.  The  whole  co^ist,  from  the  Clulf  of  Mexico  to 
Nova  Scotia,  was  declared  untler  blockade,  and  British  fleets 
threatened  every  port.  At  the  same  time  strong  reinforcements 
were  sent  to  Lower  Canada,  and  Prevost  was  directed  to  strike  a 
decisive  blow  on  Lake  Champlain.  With  thirteen  thousand  choice 
troops,  many  of  them  veterans  of  WeUington's  Spanish  campaigns, 
he  moved  up  the  shores  of  the  lake,  .\breast  of  his  march  sailed  a 
fleet  of  sloops  and  gunboats,  with  one  small  frigate,  under  Captain 
Downie.  The  .American  fleet  lay  under  the  guns  of  Plattsburg. 
Prevost's  plan  of  battle  provided  that  the  land-force  should  storm 
the  entrenchments  while  I  )ownie  was  destroying  the  American  shi[)s. 
But  the  .American  ships  proved  too  tough  a  morsel.  The  battle 
was  a  stubborn  one.  The  brave  Downie  was  killed,  and  his  fleet  was 
shattered.  Daunted  by  the  disaster  Sir  (ieorge  withdrew  precipi- 
tately, leaving  many  of  his  wounded  on  the  field.  This  astonish- 
ing retreat  he  explained  by  saying  that  Plattsburg  would  be  of  no 
use  to  him  now  that  the  destruction  of  the  fleet  had  lost  him  the 
command  of  the  lake.  But  his  army  was  filled  with  rage.  Maiiv 
of  the  officers  broke  their  swords  in  fury  at  the  disgrace.  A  fow 
months  later  Prevost  was  summoned  home  to  England  to  be  tried 
for  incompetency  ;  but  he  fell  sick  on  the  journey,  and  died 
before  the  trial  took  place.  It  is  said  that  when  actually  under 
fire  this  unfortunate  general  displayed  great  personal  bra\'ery ; 
but  it  is  certain  that  he  lacked  resolution  in  emergency,  and  tluit 
he  had  not  the  courage  of  his  resjwnsibilities. 


SE17A'RE    OF  lA^TERX  MAINE. 


251 


In  the  Maritime  Provinces  the  summer  of  1814  was  marked  by 

some  activity.     Sir  John  Sherbrooke  was  governor  of  Xova  Scotia. 

He  concluiied  thai  the  time  was  ripe  for  extendint;  „ 

*  '^    Nova  Scotia 

British  claims  over  the  old  disputed  territory  of  Maine,   takes  pos- 

•'  session  of 

In  July  he  organized  an  expedition  against  Eastport,   eastern 

captured  it,  and  made  the  citizens  take  the  oath  of 

allegiance  to  the  British  Crown.     In  September  he  stretched  his 

hand  westward  to  the  Penobscot,  seizing  the  towns  of  Castine  md 

Bangor,  and  i)roclaiining   British  authority  over  the  surrounding 

region,  which  had  once  been  a  part  of  Acadie.     He  accomplished 

the  bold  enterprise  with  little  ojjposition  and  no  bloodshed,  the 

people  accepting  the  new  rule  with  good  grace.     During  the  rest 

of  the  war  all  this  district  was  under  Sherbrooke's  administration. 

The  customs  receipts  were  carried  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  constituted 

what  was  known  as  the  Castine  Fund.     It  amounted  to  nearly 

^(40,000,  most  of  which,  a  few  years  later,  went  to  the  founding 

of  Dalhousie  College  in   Halifax. 

Meanwhile,  far  to  the  south,  I'mgland  was  pushing  hard  against 

her   adversary.      A    tleet,    under   Admiral   C'ochran,    >ailed    into 

Chesapeake  Bav  and  bombarded  Fort  McHenrv,  the  „     „ 

'  -.  -  The  British 

defence  of  Baltimore.     The  tleet  carried  a  land-force  defeated  at 

1        /^  ,7.  11  1     ,,•     1  •  T      **''^  Orleans 

under   Ceneral    Ross,  which   took    \\  asliington.      In 

retaliation  for  the  destruction  of  York,   the  Capitol  and   other 

public  buildings  were  burned.     Meanwhile  the  Commissioners  of 

Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  were  sitting  in  council  at 

Ghent,  in  the  Netherlands ;   and  at  last  they  managed  to  agree 

upon  terms  of  peace.     On  the  day  before  Christmas,   1814,  the 

Treaty  of   Ghent   was   signed.       By  its    provisions   each    nation 

restored  all  lands  taken  during  the  war.     The  tidings  of  peace, 

however,  were  slow  in  reaching  the  New  World,  and  in  January 

was  fought  a  fierce  and  bloody  battle.     T'he  city  of  New  Orleans 

was  attacked  by  General  Pakenham  with  a  strong  force       The 

defenders  of  the  city  were    mostly  raw   militia,  and    they  were 

heavily  outnumbered   by  the  British  ;   but  they  had    ingeniously 

strengthened    their   breastworks  with  cotton   bales   and   bags    of 


25; 


J    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


i 


Results  of 
war  for 
America. 


sand,  and  under  the  command  of  a  vigorous  and  warlike  leader 
General  Andrew  Jackson,  they  fought  with  admirable  courage. 
In  vain  the  British  hurled  themselves  against  the  novel  breast- 
works. The  long  lines  of  cotton  bales  streamed  with  a  murder- 
ous fire,  and  two  thousand  British  soldiers  fell  before  them.  The 
result  was  the  defeat  and  death  of  Pakenham,  and  for  Jackson  ;i 
flood  of  popular  adoration  which  ">y-and-by  carried  him  to  llie 
White  House. 

The  war  was  now  done.  To  the  Americans  it  had  brought 
little  but  disaster.  They  had  gone  into  it  in  a  spirit  of  deliberate 
and  wanton  aggression,  and  with  so  little  excuse  that  one  of  their 
greatest  statesmen,  Quincy,  could  say  on  the  floors  of 
Congress  —  "Since  the  invasion  of  the  Buccaneers, 
there  is  nothing  in  history  more  disgraceful  than  this 
war."  They  had  invaded  the  lands  of  an  imoffending  people, 
whom  they  first  vainly  tried  to  seduce  from  their  allegiance,  and 
then  visited  with  fire  and  pillage.  They  came  out  of  the  war 
with  few  victories  to  their  credit,  but  smarting  under  many  and 
hmniliating  defeats.  They  came  out  of  it  with  their  great  mercan- 
tile marine  destroyed  (England  took  three  thousand  of  their  shi])s), 
their  foreign  commerce  ruined,  two-thirds  of  their  merchants  bank- 
rupt. Their  export  trade  had  fallen  from  $100,000,000  to  less 
than  $8,000,000  ;  their  imports  from  $140,000,000  to  $15,000,000. 
For  all  their  expenditure  of  blood  and  treasure,  they  could  show 
no  great  wrong  righted,  no  foot  of  added  territory,  —  nothing,  in- 
deetl,  but  such  a  record  as  a  proud  people  loves  not  to  dwell 
upon.  ' 

To  Canada,  on  the  other  hand,  the  war  was  fruitful  of  glory. 
Its  results  are  potent  in  our  blood  to  this  day.  Some  of  the 
most  splendid  and  decisive  victories  of  the  war  were  won  by  the 
Canadian  militia.  These  victories  taught  us  our  ability  to  defend 
our  wide  frontier  even  against  overwhelming  numbers.  They 
taught  us,  too,  that  in  a  flagrantly  unjust  war,  —  a  war  of  offence, 
—  the  great  kindred  republic  on  our  borders  could  not  put  forth 
all  its  strength,  being  hampered  by  the  national  conscience.     Just 


If 


KESULTS   OF   TIfE    WAR. 


253 


as  llngland  was  weak  in  the  war  of  American  Indcpcnilciice,  be- 
cause her  people  iloiibted  the  righteousness  of  her  cause,  so  the 

United  States  proved  weak  in  the  war  o{  181 2,  be- 

^  Results  of 

cause  their  wisest  sons,  their  most  enlightened  com-    war  to 

.  .   Canada 

munities,  refused  to  support  the  wanton  aggression  ot 

the  government.  Canada  gained,  by  this  baptism  of  t'lre,  a  mar- 
tial self-reliance,  the  germs  of  a  new  spirit  of  patriotism.  She 
learned  that,  whether  of  French  or  English  olood,  Scotch,  Irish, 
or  German,  her  sons  were  one  in  loyal  valour  when  the  enemy 
came  against  her  gates.  Hi..r  devastated  homes,  the  blood  of  her 
sons,  these  were  not  too  great  a  j^rice  to  pay  for  the  bond  of 
brotherhood  between  the  scattered  provinces.  The  boml  that 
then  first  made  itself  felt,  from  Cape  Breton  to  the  Straits  of 
Mackinaw,  grew  secretly  but  surely  in  power  till  it  proclaimed 
itself  to  the  world  in  Confederation,  and  reached  out  to  islands  of 
the  Pacific.  To  crown  its  work  there  is  wanting  now  only  that 
"  Ancient  Colony  "  which  sits  in  the  portals  of  the  Culf  and  wraps 
her  austere  shoulders  in  her  cloak  of  fogs  and  suspicion. 


I    : 


11 


n 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

SECTIONS:  — 76,  the  North-west;  1789-1835.  "jf.  Strife  i\ 
Politics,  Growth  in  Population.  78,  Political  strife  in 
Lower  Canada. 

76.   The  North-west ;  1789-1835.  —  Far  aloof  from  the  poini) 

and  circumstance  of  war,  amid  solitude  and  ceaseless  hardship, 

fth    ^^^"^  ""  ^^^  exploration  and  beginnings  of  settlement 

Hudson  Bay  of  what  is  now  our  great  North-west.  The  movina 
and  North-  "  '^ 

west  Com-  force  in  that  vast  region  was  the  fur-trade.  The 
panies. 

Hudson  IJay  Company,  with  its  lonely  posts  at  the 

mouths  of  rivers,  on  the  shores  of  the  great  sea  from  which  it 
took  its  name,  was  forced  by  its  active  Montreal  rival,  the  North- 
west Company,  to  push  its  power  all  over  the  interior.  North- 
ward to  the  Arctic  circle,  westward  to  the  Rockies,  and  at  last 
to  the  very  Pacific,  spread  the  stockaded  posts  of  the  rival  com- 
panies,, sometimes  rising  almost  side  by  side,  but  always  with 
fierce  jealousies  that  too  often  broke  out  in  bloodshed.  The 
employes  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  were  chiefly  men  from 
the  Orkney  Islands,  those  of  the  North-west  Company  French 
Canadians.  These  hardy  adventurers  took  themselves  wives  from 
among  the  tribes  of  the  land  ;  and  there  sprang  up  in  time  a  race 
of  half-breeds,  almost  as  wild  as  their  savage  mothers,  but  capable 
in  affairs,  and  susce]>tible  to  education.  They  came  to  be  a 
mighty  factor  in  the  making  of  the  North-west. 

The  most  famous  name  in  North-west  exploration  is  that  of 
Alexander  Mackenzie,  a  Scotch  Highlander,  who  in  the  latter 
quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century  came  to  the  New  World  as  a 

254 


#1 


MACKENZIE  AND    VANCOUVER. 


255 


servant  of  the  "  Nor' -westers,"  —  as  the  Montreal  company  was 
callcil.  His  boldness,  endurance,  and  aptitude  for  leadership 
among  the  turbulent  spirits  who  surrounded  him,  pres-  Mackenzie 
ently  brought  him  to  the  front.  In  the  summer  of  1 789,  ^''^  e*P>ofer. 
Mackenzie  set  out  from  Fort  Chippewyan,  on  I-ake  Athabasca, 
and  with  four  birch-bark  canoes  went  north  by  the  Slave  River  to 
the  Great  Slave  Lake.  Thence  he  descended  the  huge  river  tliat 
bears  his  name,  till  near  the  end  of  July  he  came  out  upon  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  After  this  feat  he  returned  to  England  for  a  year 
of  study,  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  determine  more  accu- 
rately the  positions  and  characteristics  of  his  future  fliscoveries, 
and  so  give  his  records  more  scientific  value.  His  next  achieve- 
ment was  the  ascent  of  the  Peace  River  from  Fort  (Miippewyan, 
tlirough  a  gap  in  the  Rockies,  to  its  source  in  what  is  now  our 
splendid  Pacific  province  of  British  Columbia.  Thence,  through 
tremendous  difficulties  and  endless  perils,  he  made  his  way  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  To  commemorate  this  triumph  the  exultant  ex- 
plorer took  a  quantity  of  vermilion,  such  as  the  Indians  used, 
mixed  it  with  grease,  and  on  the  face  of  a  cliff  overlooking  the 
waves  inscribed  the  following  words  —  ".Alexander  Mackenzie 
from  Canada  by  land,  the  twenty-second  of  July,  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  ninety-three." 

.•\lwut  this  time  Captain  George  Vancouver,  following  the  path 
which  Captain  Cook  had  already  made  memorable  (1778--1779), 

was  exploring  the  British  Columbian  coast,  and  dis- 

.  .  Vancouver  on 

puting  with  the  Spaniards  the  possession  of  the  great  the  Pacific 
island  which  now  bears  his  name.  Captain  (^ook  had 
made  his  landing  at  Nootka,  on  the  island.  Nootka  became  a 
centre  of  trade  with  the  Indians  of  the  coast.  In  1788  Captain 
John  Meares  had  founded  a  settlement  there,  which  the  Spaniards, 
claiming  all  the  coast,  had  destroyed  with  great  barbarity.  It 
was  to  look  into  this  matter  that  Vancouver  was  sent  to  the 
Pacific.  The  year  of  his  arrival  was  1792.  He  found  the  Span- 
iards at  Nootka,  but  they  withdrew  at  his  bidding  ;  and  the  dis- 
pute was  referred  to  arbitration.     The  decision  of  the  arbitrators 


f 

I 


11 


i! 


t! 


I'    \ 


h 


L 


256 


^/    // AS TOA'y   OF  CAXAIKI. 


I^ave  all  the  Pacific  coast  to  (Ireat  Britain,  from  Califumia  111  iln- 
south  to  Russian  America  in  the  north.  In  1792,  also,  the  month 
of  that  great  river  called  by  the  Spaniards  the  Orcj^on  was  entered 
by  an  American  ship,  and  renamed  by  its  capt.iin  the  C.'oiurnliia. 
Hy  a  curious  exchange,  the  ])atriolisin  of  the  American  captain 
afterwards  furnished  a  name  for  a  Canadian  province,  while  the 
supplanted  Spanish  title  of  the  river  served  to  designate  an  .Ameri- 
can state. 

The  next  name  illustrious  in  the  annals  of  the  Norlh-we>t  is 
that  of  Lord  Selkirk,  whose  colonizing  labours  in  Prince  Im1\v:ih! 
Island  and  Upper  Canada  have  been  already  described.  In  iSi  1 
the  noble  colonizer  became  interested  in  the  Ibulson  Jiay  Com- 
pany, and  purchased  from  the  company  a  vast  tract  of  land  on 
Red  River,     'i'his  district  he  named  Assiniboia,  and 

Lord  Sel- 
kirk's Red       thither  lie  sent,  by  way  of  Hudson    l>ay,  a  band  ni 
River  colony.    ,,  ,  ,,.,.'.  ,         ,  , 

Scotch  and  Irish  immigrants.     In  i>Si2  these  pioneers, 

heedless  of  the  war-storms  further  east,  settled  on  the  fertile  lands 
by  the  Red  River's  muddy  current,  where  they  were  joined  from 
year  to  year  by  other  immigrants  till  the  colony  became  imi)uri;u)t 
enough  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  the  North-west  Company's  iialf- 
breeds.  A  number  of  the  colonists  were  presently  jjersiiaded  by 
a  north-western  trader  to  leave  Red  River  and  betake  thein-eUes 
to  Penetanguishene  on  (leorgian  Bay;  but  their  jilaec  war,  soon 
filled  by  another  band  sent  out  by  the  indefatigable  Selkirk.  In 
t8i6  the  hostility  of  the  half-breeds,  who  claimed  tlie  whole 
North-west  as  their  birthright  and  vaingloriously  styled  them- 
selves "  the  New  Nation,"  blazed  out  in  open  war.  Fort  I  )ouglas, 
the  centre  of  the  Selkirk  settlement,  was  assaulted,  and  Semj>le, 
the  governor  of  the  colony,  was  killed  in  the  struggle.  Lord  Sel- 
kirk, who  was  on  the  way  from  Montreal  with  a  small  party  of 
troops  for  the  defence  of  his  colony,  was  met  by  the  news  of 
Semple's  death,  whereupon  he  retorted  by  seizing  Fort  William, 
an  important  Nor'-wester  post  on  Lake  Superior.  After  winter- 
ing there  he  pushed  on  to  the  Red  River  valley  and  proni|)tly 
brought   the  half-breeds  to  submission.     Thus   troubled  was  the 


/•///•;    CO/XiV/.    OF  .tSSLV/HO/A. 


25/" 


liirih  of  the  Red  River  settlement,  which  half  ;i  cciiliiry  later  was 
t,)  bei ome  the  "  Prairie  Province"  of  Manitolia. 

In  iSji  the  dangers  which  still  menaced  the  settlements  were 
removed  by  the  union  of  the  North-west  and  Hudson  I'.ay  Com- 
p.uiies,  both  comiJanies  having  found  the  rivalry  ruinous.  .\l)oul 
this  time  a  number  of  Swiss  settlers  came  to  Keil  River,  and  the 
colony  entered  upon  a  period  of  peaceful  growth.  In  1835  the 
R<-d  River  colony  was  brought  under  a  regular  gov-  thu  council 
crnment,  called  the  Council  of  As.siniboia,  which  con-  »' Assimboia. 
tmued  to  rule  its  affairs  till  tlie  purchase  of  the  North-west  by  the 
Canadian  Confederation.  The  ('ouncil  of  Assiniboia  held  its  ses- 
sions at  Fort  Carry,  the  capital  of  the  colony,  and  was  presided 
over  by  the  Hudson  P.ay  Company's  governor.  Its  first  jiresident 
w,is  the  energetic  and  masterful  Sir  (ieorge  Simjjson. 

I'o  the  history  of  the  North-west  belong  the  exploits  of  Sir 
lohn  Franklin  and  the  explorations  of  (ieorge  Rack.  Tliese  were 
Inutfiil  of  heroism,  if  not  of  desirable  new  lands.  York  I'actory, 
;it  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson,  ami  afterwards  l'\)rt  ("hippewyan, 
were  the  points  of  departure  for  these  expeditions.  I'Vanklin  on 
lii>  first  journey  (1819-1822)  reached  the  Arctic  Sea  Arctic  explo- 
l.y  way  of  the  Coppermine  River,  at  the  mouth  of  which  [^ankfin  and 
ho  built  a  post.  On  his  second  expedition  (1825-  ^^^^ 
iS.-;)  he  descended  the  Mackenzie  River  and  explored  the 
I'ular  coast  to  the  westward.  Rack's  expedition  (1833-1835),  de- 
srcnded  the  Creat  l''ish  River  (somelinie^  called  Mack's  River), 
;il  the  head  of  which  he  built  Fort  Reliance.  The  final  expedition 
oi  I'raiiklin,  that  on  which  he  and  his  followers  perished,  did  not 
set  out  till  1S45. 

77.  Strife  in  Politics,  Growth  in  Population.  —  For  the  prov- 
imcs  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Lakes,  the  jieriod  immediately 
succeeding  the  war  was  one  of  growth  in  population,  of  strife  in 
politics.  Creat  Britain  being  now  at  peace,  she  found  on  her 
hands  a  throng  of  disbanded  soldiers,  and  officers  retired  on  half 
pay.  Besides  this  fact,  the  labouring  classes  in  the  Jiritish  Isles 
!i;ul  been  increasing  of  late  much  more  rapitUy  than  work  could 


99- 


mmm 


w 


\\ 


I 


1      I 


:l 


258 


.-/    ///S'/'OA'y    (>/'    CAX.IDA. 


be  found  for  them.  The  govi*rnment  turned  its  attention  to  pro- 
moting emigration.  Ik-ginning  with  the  "Perth  Settlement"  ui" 
(hsbanded  soldiers  and  their  officers,  in  1816,  settlers  kept  fliu  k- 
immigration  ^^'A  '"^o  both  I'pperand  Lover  Canada  in  yearly  in- 
to Canada,  creasing  numbers.  These  new-comers  were  at  first 
mainly  .Scotcli  and  Irish  ;  but  soon  the  movement  extended  to 
the  l-'-nglish  and  Welsh  as  well.  It  was  by  no  means  a  pauper 
immigration.  In  almost  all  cases  it  was  under  strict  governinent 
supervision,  and  the  immigrants  were  of  a  sturdy,  independent, 
self-respecting  class.  This  fact  cannot  be  too  much  dwelt  u|ioii, 
for  on  it  depeiuls  the  high  average  —  intellectu  il  monil.  and 
physical— of  the  Canailian  stock.  Landing  usually  at  (Juel)ec, 
some  of  the  immigrants  were  unwilling  to  ])rolong  their  journey, 
and  therefore  settled  in  the  surrounding  districts.  Others  went 
south-westward  to  the  Eastern  Townships  and  the  valley  of  the  S'. 
Francis.  Yet  others  established  themselves  about  Montreal,  but 
the  greater  number  kept  on  into  Upper  Canada,  prefernug  the 
English  laws  and  institutions  under  which  they  had  been  brought 
up.  They  spread  in  bands  Ui  all  parts  of  the  province,  peopling 
new  townships,  opening  in  the  wilderness  new  centres  of  pros- 
perous life.  To  the  beginning  of  this  period  belongs  the  con- 
struction of  the  Rideau  Canal,'  from  Kingston  to  the  Ottawa  Kivcr 
at  Chaudiere  Falls.  Many  of  the  newly  arriving  settlers  toi.  k  up 
lands  about  the  canal  and  on  the  Ottawa,  and  at  the  Falls  arose  a 
busy  little  lumbering  village  (1825)  called  Hytown  in  honour  of 
Colonel  By,  the  engineer  who  had  built  the  canal.  This  remote 
settlement  of  shantymen  and  lumbermen  was  destined  to  i>ecome 
our  national  capital,  the  beautiful  city  of  Ottawa. 

A  powerful  factor  in  this  work  of  peopling  the  Canadian  wilder- 
The  Canada  "^^s  was  the  "  Canada  C'ompany,"  incorporated  by 
Company.  Imperial  Parliament  in  1826,  with  a  capital  of  cne 
million  ]iounds  sterling.    The  company  purchased,  in  the  two  prov- 


1  This  work  was  planned  by  the  British  government  for  military  purposes,  to 
secure  communication  between  Montreal  and  the  Lakes  in  case  of  the  exposed 
St.  Lawrence  route  falling  into  an  enemy's  hands. 


THE   CffOr.F.A.l    YF.AKS. 


-'59 


iiues,  vast  tracts  of  land,  amounting  in  all  tv)  iioaily  three  million 
;i(  res,  on  terms  re<iuiring  the  tonstruction  cf  roa«ls  and  other 
measures  of  development.  The  secretary  of  the  com))any.  very 
zealous  in  its  affairs,  mms  a  vifjorons  Scotch  man-of-lettcrs,  John 
(;alt  of  Ayrshire.  '\'o  the  Canada  ("onipany  we  owe  a  long  roll  of 
tl(nirishing  settlements,  with  su(  h  busy  towns  as  Cialt  and  tiode- 
riih,  anil  the  tine  city  of  (Juclph,  n\cknametl  "'i'he  Royal  City." 
The  year  of  heaviest  imrease  was  1831,  when  no  fewer  than 
tliirtv-four  thousand  immigrants  came  to  Canada.  It  is  estimated 
that  in  the  four  years  beginning  with  1829  the  settlers  seeking  a 
lionie  within  our  borders  ;  'mbered  no  less  than  one  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand.  This  penod  of  our  history  is  well  named  by  a 
Canadian  historian'  t'->c  period  of  t'     '  (ireat  Inur-iyration." 

Hand  in  hand  .  .di  this  in-  lugration  came  a  plague  which 
scourged  both  Upper  and  1  ower  Canada  (iS.p-1334).  Ii-.  June 
of  i.S^^  came  a  ship  from  iJublin  to  the  St.  I,awrence  with  .^siatic 
cholera  on  board.  She  was  stoppeil  at  the  quarantine  station 
down  the  river,  but  on  the  day  foil  nving  her  arrival  the  plague 
w.is  already  in  Quebec,  where  it  seized  its  thousands  xhg  ohoiera 
of  victims.  It  spread  hungrily  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  ^^*" 
ravaged  Montreal,  and  swooped  down  upon  the  infant  towns  and 
villages  of  the  Liike  province.  The  frosts  of  autumn  stayed  its 
fatal  march,  and  the  terrified  people  had  time  to  mourn  their 
(lead.  They  thought  themselves  safe,  and  again  breathed  freely  : 
hut  two  years  later  the  destroyer  awoke  to  new  life,  and  ravaged 
the  settlements  through  the  whole  of  a  grievous  summer  (1S34). 

iiide  by  side  with  peaceful  growth  in  population  went  on  a 
stormy  growth  in  political  life.     Political  struggles  con'^titute,  for 
the  half  century  succeeding  the  war,  almost  the  whole  Disputes 
of  Canadian  history.     The  contestants  are,  on  the  one  ecutive"^d" 
side,  the  people  as  represented  by  the  Assembly,  on   p^°p'^ 
the  other  side  the  P^xecutive  and  Legislative  councils,  usually  in 
alliance  with  the  governor.     The  strife  went  on  in  Upper  Canada, 


'  Doctor  George  Bryce,  author  of  "A  Short  History  of  the  Canadian  People. 


Il  I 

If- 


;  i 


If! 


I  i^ 


5       t 


260 


A   HISTOKY   OJ-    CANADA. 


Lower  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  with  such  variati(Kis 
as  chance  and  local  differences  might  be  expectcil  to  produce  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  with  such  similarities  that  we  are  forced  lu 
seek  some  one  general  cause  as  the  base  of  all  the  quarrels.  In 
one  province,  religious  differences  may  seem,  at  first  glann?,  (,i 
explain  the  trouble  ;  in  another  the  root  of  the  difiiculty  inav 
appear  to  lie  in  antagonisms  of  race  and  language.  P.nt  thcic, 
when  looked  at  fairly,  prove  to  be  mere  accidents.  Th :  struggle- 
is  in  fact  a  constitutional  one.  It  is  for  tne  reality  of  reprtsenta- 
tive  institutions,  —  for  what  is  known  as  Responsible  Ciovernnieiu. 
The  constitutions  given  to  the  several  provinces  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  preceding  century  had  put  the  government  nouiiiially 
in  the  hands  of  the  people,  but  by  no  means  actually  so.  In  tai  t, 
its  functions  were  usurped  by  the  Executive  CJouncil,  whose 
members,  as  we  have  seen,  held  office  for  life  and  were  resjion- 
sible  to  no  one.  They  represented  the  views  and  wishes  of  a 
small  and  exclusive  class,  and  maintained  a  show  of  constitutional 
authority  by  their  connection  with  the  Legislative  Council,  wherein 
most  of  them  held  seats.  They  were  in  name  the  governor's 
advisers ;  but  circumstances,  and  the  support  of  the  Legislative 
Council,  and  their  own  importance,  and  too  often  the  governor's 
ignorance  of  provincial  iiffairs,  combined  to  make  them  his  direct- 
ors. Their  rule,  whether  wise  or  unwise,  was  the  rule  of  a  strict 
oligarchy.  It  was  contrar)  to  the  whole  spirit  of  Anglo-Sa.xon 
freedom. 

Whatever  shape  the  struggle  against  this  oligarchy  might  take 
on  from  time  to  time  —  "'Judges  Disabilities,"  "Civil  List  liills," 
"Clergy  Reserves"  — the  ultmiate  object  aimed  at  by  the  people 
was  the  control  of  the  j^ove-rnor's  advisers.  The  ])eople  de- 
The  Family  nianded  that  the  Kxecutive  sliould  bo  directly  respon- 
Compact.  gji^]^  j^  thorn; — in  other  words,  that  the  Executive 
should  be  chosen  from  amou:;-  the  representatives  elected  In'  the 
people,  and  should  retire  from  office  on  refus|^  of  the  people  to 
reelect  them.  This  claim  is  now  admitted  as  an  inalienable  rignt; 
but  in  watching  the  stress  and  turmoil  kA  the  conflict   by  whii  h 


IM 


STRIFE  IN  LOiVER    CANADA. 


261 


lliat  right  was  won,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  question  had  two 
sides.  The  men  who  strove  with  voice  and  pen  in  the  cause  of 
Canadian  freedom  deserve  our  grateful  remembrance  ;  but  we 
must  not  forget  that  some  of  them  put  themselves  much  in  the 
wrong  by  violence  and  folly,  and  even,  in  one  or  two  cases,  were 
so  far  misled  by  fanaticism  or  personal  ambition  as  to  stain  their 
hands  with  treason  in  the  sacred  name  of  patriotism.  Their 
opponents,  on  the  other  hand,  were  not  without  weighty  argu- 
ments in  support  of  their  position,  and  they  included  in  their 
number  many  conscientious,  patriotic,  and  able  men  whose  mem- 
ories stand  far  above  any  charge  of  greed  or  self-seeking,  'i'he 
oligarchy  in  Upper  (Canada,  on  account  of  the  close  relationship 
between  its  members  and  the  jealous  exclusiveness  with  which 
their  circle  was  guarded,  came  to  be  known  as  the  "  Family 
Compact."  This  title  was  gradually  extended  to  the  like  classes 
existing  in  each  of  the  other  provinces.  In  New  Brunswick, 
indeed,  it  seemed  hardly  less  appropriate  than  it  was  in  the 
province  by  the  Lakes. 

78.  Political  Strife  in  Lower  Canada. — In  Quebec  the  ])ar- 
liamentary  conflict,  stilled  on  the  approach  of  war,  broke  out  again 
in  1814,  during  the  lull  before  the  opening  of  the  final  campaign. 
The  Assembly,  exultant  over  the  French  Canadian  triumph  at 
(Jhateauguay,  voted  all  the  war  credits  that  Sir  George  Prevost 
asked.  Then  their  minds  reverted  to  the  old  quar-  xheAssembiy 
rel.  For  all  that  they  had  suffered  under  Sir  James  tg^n^*'^*^ 
Craig  they  laid  the  blame  upon  Chief  Justice  Sewell,  ^^^sed. 
who  had  been  his  chief  adviser.  They  impeached  the  chief 
justice  on  a  charge  of  having  changed  the  rules  of  procedure  in 
his  court  without  legislative  authority.  Judge  Monk,  of  Montreal, 
who  had  also  made  himself  obnoxious--  to  the  Assembly,  was 
impeached  at  the  same  time  on  charges  of  official  corruption. 
The  Assembly  demanded  that  the  governor  should  suspend  these 
men  from  office.  This  the  governor  naturally  refused  to  do,  unless 
the  Legislative  Council  should  concur  in  the  impeachment.  The 
Legislative  Council  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  impeachment. 


1 1 


i 

( 


1 

n 


'! 


nil 


■  ii  i 


262 


A   MIS  7  OH  Y   OF  C AX  AD  A. 


Secure  in  such  support,  Judge  Monk  paid  no  attention  to  the 
wrath  of  the  Assembly.  Chief  Justice  Sewell,  however,  went  to 
Chief  Justice  England,  desiring  that  the  charges  preferred  again:,! 
gests'confe'd-  h""  should  be  looked  into ;  but  his  accusers  failed  to 
eration  appear.     Sewell  was  warmly  received  in  England,  and 

he  made  his  visit  memorable.  He  laid  before  the  colonial  sec- 
retary, as  a  remedy  for  existing  grievances  and  a  safeguard  against 
future  perils,  a  scheme  for  the  Federal  Union  of  the  Colonies  of 
British  North  America.  Thus,  in  1814,  the  germs  of  the  yreiit 
idea  of  Confederation  began  to  stir.  The  [proposal  awakened 
some  interest  at  court ;  but  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  by  half  ,i 
century.  Events,  however,  and  chief  among  them  the  war  just 
ending,  were  slowly  but  surely  paving  the  way  for  the  consumma- 
tion of  Se well's  s])lendid  dream. 

The  quarrel  between  Assembly  and  Executive  in  Quebec  was  so 
much  the  more  bitter  because  the  Executive  was  almost  exclusively 
Disputes  over  English.  The  English  element  in  IxDwer  Canada  was 
the  Civil  List.  j^yj_  Qj^jy  ^  gniall  minority  of  the  population,  but  it  was 
so  foolish  as  to  assume  an  air  of  superiority  over  its  fellow-citi/.ens. 
Members  of  this  minority  held  almost  all  the  offices.  Having 
made  good  their  grasp  on  power,  they  clung  to  it  stubbornly,  ami 
professed  to  regard  their  fellow-subjects  of  French  birth  as  an 
inferior  race.  The  race  dispute,  however,  was  not  a  vital  one.  i jr 
we  find  the  F^nglish  members  of  the  Assembly  siding  vigorously 
with  their  French  colleagues  in  opposition  to  the  governor  and 
Council.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1809  the  Assembly  had 
offered  to  pay  the  expenses  o(  the  Civil  List,  —  that  is,  the  salaries 
of  the  officials,  —  and  that  the  Council  had  indignantly  rejected 
the  offer,  as  a  scheme  to  make  them  dependent  on  the  Assembly. 
Now  rhe  governor  was  ordered  by  the  home  government  to 
accept  this  offer  (1816).  The  Assembly  paid  the  bill,  which  had 
by  this  time  much  increaseci ;  but  refused  to  make  ]iernianeni 
provision  for  it.  The  members  declared  that  they  would  vote  the 
recpiired  amount  each  year,  and  would  retain  the  right  oi  exanin- 
ing  the  items  of  the  List.     This  caused  no  collision,  however,  till 


^ 


PArrxEAU. 


263 


a 


I Si 9,  when  it  was  found  that  the  List  had  increased  from;^6o,ooo 
to  ^76,000.  The  Assembly  protested,  examined  the  items,  and 
made  some  reductions  before  passing  the  Appropriation  Bill. 
The  bill  thus  amended  was  rejected  by  the  Legislative  Council ; 
and  thus  affairs  once  more  came  to  a  dead-lock.  In  the  following 
year  the  old  King,  Oeorge  III,  died,  and  (leorge  IV  came  to  the 
throne.  New  assemblies  were  elected  in  all  the  provinces,  and  to 
(Juebec,  as  governor-general,  came  the  Karl  of  Dalhousie,  who 
had  been  serving  as  lieutenant-governor  of  Nova  Scotia. 

The  si)eaker  of  the  new  Assembly  was  a  brilliant  French  Cana- 
dian (jrator,  soon  to  win  a  wiile  but  unfortunate  fame.     This  was 

Louis  Papineau,  the  hero  of  the  French  Canadian  de- 

^  Papineau. 

mocracy.     In  spite  of  quarrels  and  jealousies,  I'apmeau 

could  say  in  his  opening  speech  of  welcome  to  the  new  governor 

—  "On  the  tlav  on  which  Canada  came  under  the  dominion  of 

(Ireat  Britain,  the  reign  of  law  succeeded  that  of  violence.     From 

that  day  its  treasures  were  freely  spent,  its  navy  and  its  army  were 

mustered  to  afford  her  an  invincible  protection.     From  that  day 

the  belter  i)art  of  British  laws  became  hers,  while  her  religion,  her 

])roi)erty.  and  the  laws  by  which   they  are   preser\'ed,  remained 

unaltered."     But  this  loyal   temper  was   soon  to  change.     Lord 

Dalhousie  forced  on  a  contlict.     He  demanded  that  the  .Assembly 

should  provide  for  the  Civil  List  by  a  permanent  appropriation. 

When  the  .Assembly  refused,  he  himself  appropriated  the  funds 

in   the  treasury,  and   paid   the  Civil    List  expenses.     It  will   be 

ronienibered  that  the  province  had  three  sources  of  revenue, — • 

(i^  that  derived  from  the   Permanent  Revenue  Act  of  1774,  in 

the  tbrni  of  a  tax  imjjosed  by  the  Crown  on  spirits  and  molasses  ; 

(2)  that  derived  from  the  leases  of  mines  and  sales  of  land,  called 

the  "  Casual  and  Territorial  Revenue"  ;  and  (3)  that  derived  from 

the  customs  duties  inipt)-;ed  by  the  Assembly  on  goods  coming 

into  the  i)rovince.     Of  all  these  revenues  the  .Assembly  claimed 

control ;  but  the  first  two  were  where  the  governor  and  Council 

<  ould  lay  hands  on  them.     When  the  governor  drew  these  funds 

and  used  them  to  pay  the  expenses  of  government,  the  Assembly 


264 


A    I/rSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


if 


clcnouiiced  his  act  as  a  breach  of  the  constitution.  To  make 
matters  worse,  a  noisy  section  of  the  KngHsh  inhabitants  began  to 
argue  for  the  .iboUtion  of  French  laws  and  the  l)anishnitiit  of  the 
French  l.inguage  fn)ni  the  Legislature.  'I'hesc  extremists  clainu'd 
that  unless  Lower  Canada  ceased  to  be  a  French  province  >iic 
would  soon  cease  to  be  an  F.nglisli  possession. 

A  scheme  for  a  union  of  I  pper  and  Lowt.'r  Canada  was  now- 
proposed  by  the  British  government  (1822)  ;  but  it  i)rovidetl  for 

the  use  of  no  language  but  laiglish  in  the  narliamen- 
Schetne  for  o      .->  o  1 

reuniting  the  tary  rei)orts,  and  lor  the  abolition  of  French  from  ihc 
Canadas. 

ilebates  after  fil'teen  )  ears.     The  French  protostcil  so 

vehemently  that  the  ])lan  was  dropped.  But  the  Imperial  I'arlia- 
nient,  still  arrogating  to  itself  the  right  to  tax  the  colonics,  passed 
the  Canada  'I'rade  Act,  for  raising  a  revenue  and  regulating  com- 
merce.  More  and  more  bitter  then  grew  the  disputes  in  buucr 
Canada  between  Assembly  and  Legislative  Council.  The  .\.ssemblv 
amended  the  Council's  bills;  the  (.'ouncil  threw  out  the  ann  iided 
bills  ;  the  governor  went  on  appropriating  the  jieruianent  reventics 
to  pay  the  Civil  List,  At  length  the  position  of  the  Couik  il 
received  a  severe  blow  in  the  failure  of  the  receiver-general, 
Sir  John  Caldwell.  He  had  been  appointed  by  the  governor; 
and  no  security  had  been  exacted  of  him  that  he  should  prove 
faithful  to  his  trust.  The  ("rown,  not  having  taken  sec  uritv.  was 
thus  morally  responsible  to  the  provimc.  Caldwell  could  not 
account  for  some  ^'96,000  of  the  funds  of  the  j>rovince,  which 
had  passed  into  his  hands.  In  spite  of  this  notorious  defalca- 
tion, he  retained  his  seat  in  the  F.xecutive  ;  and  the  ])eople 
found  a  new  and  [)otent  weapon  to  their  hand.  As  the  public 
wradi  boiled  higher  and  higher,  J-ord  Dalhousie  was  disireet 
enough  to  go  away  on  leave  of  absence,  and  his  place  was  tem- 
porarily fdled  by  a  more  politic  leader.  Sir  Francis  Burton.  He 
at  once  acknowledged  the  claim  of  the  Assembly  to  control  the 
Permanent  Revenue  :  and  the  indignation  died  down.  On  Dal- 
hoiisie's  return,  however,  the  storm  blew  up  again  with  increasing 
menace.     That  obstinate  nobleman  tlouted  all  the  claims  of  the 


1  ■, 


THE    CANADA    COMM ll'TI-.t:. 


:26s 


Assembly,  and  displayed  active  hostility  toward  its  leaders,  who 
WLTf  Papineau  for  tlie  French  section,  and  Doctor  Wolfred  Nelson 
tor  the  smaller  but  not  less  dissatistled  I'-nglish  section.  The  next 
step  in  the  struggle  was  reaciu-d  in  1827.  when,  after  a  general 
flection,  the  governor-general  refused  to  ac(  ept  I'apincau  as 
speaker  of  the  new  House.  Then  the  province  hummed  with 
excitement,  and  all  legislation  cauie  to  an  end.  The  people 
gathered  in  angry  knots.  Mass  meetings  were  held  in  the  cities  ; 
and  huge  petitions,  stating  grievances  and  asking  f(.)r  the  recall 
of  the  governor-general,  were  posted  in  haste  to  Mngland. 

As  Upper  Canada  was  at  tlie  same  time  besieging  the  home 
government  with  like  petitions,  the  state  of  affairs  attracted  anxious 
attention  in  Kngland.  Parliament  appointed  a  Canada  The  Canada 
Committee  to  examine  the  points  at  issue.  The  report  Commutee 
of  this  committee  (1828)  was  hailed  in  Lower  Canada  widi  grate- 
ful rejoicing.  It  tirged  that  the  Crown  duties  (of  the  act  of  1774) 
should  be  put  unilcr  the  control  of  the  Assembly  on  condition  that 
permanent  ])rovision  should  be  made  for  the  payment  of  the  Crown 
orticials  :  — that  the  judges  should  give  up  their  seats  in  the  Legis- 
lative Council;  —  that  bishops  should  not  be  allowed  to  interfere 
in  matters  of  government;  —  that  receivers-general  should  give 
security;  —  that  accounts  should  be  examined  by  the  Asseml)ly's 
auditors  ; — and  that  the  Executive  and  Legislative  Councils  should 
be  enlarged  and  made  more  independent  by  the  addition  of  mem- 
lu-rs  representing  different  classes  and  interests,  and  not  holding 
government  offices.  These  recommendations  applied  to  both 
Upper  and  Lower  Canada ;  and  in  regard  to  the  latter  province, 
it  was  particularly  urged  that  the  French  Canadian  majority  should 
have  a  fair  representation.  The  un])opular  1  )alhousie  was  recalled. 
The  new  governor-general,  Sir  James  Kempt,  recognized  Papineau 
as  speaker  of  the  Assembly  ;  and  once  more  the  excitement  died 
away. 

The  management  of  (ireat  Britain's  colonial  affairs  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Colonial  Office,  presided  over  by  the  colonial  secre- 
tary.    From  the  fact  that  the  colonial  secretary  had  his  official 


mm 


266 


A    in  STORY  OF  CANADA. 


¥   i  I 


\n 


t  ! 


headquarters  in  Downing  Street,  the  name  of  that  ol(i   Ix)n(l()n 

street  (  anie  to  be  accepted  in  the  colonies  as  synonymous  with 

the  Colonial  Office.     All  through  the  struggles  whose 
Downini;  °" 

Street  sym-     course  we  are  now  observing,  the  Colonial  Office  was 

pathizes  .  , 

with  the  somewhat    inciineil    to    tavour   the    popular   party    in 

Reformers  ,,     ,    •       ,^    ,       ,,    r 

Canada,  which  calletl  itself  the  Reform  party.      riii.> 

was  due  to  the  fact  that,  whether  liritish  Whig  or  British  Tory  ruled 
at  Westminster  anil  lilled  the  great  oftice  of  colonial  secreiarv,  tlio 
under-secretary  was  a  permanent  ofticial.  This  under-secretar\, 
for  a  long  term  of  years,  was  Mr.  Stephens,  who  combined  a  vast 
knowledge  of  colonial  affairs  with  very  broad  views  on  the  su])jo(  t 
of  colonial  self-government.  His  attitude  was  much  resented  bv 
the  official  party  in  Canada,  —  or.  as  their  opponents  calletl  them. 
the  Family  t'ompact   Tories. 

The  Colonial  Office  sought  to  carry  out  the  recommendations 
of  the  Canada  Committee  ;  and  Sir  Janies  Kempt  at  once  insti- 
tuted a  number  of  important  reforms  in  Lower  Canada.  He  also 
called  prominent  French  (Canadians  to  seats  in  the  Kxecutivc. 
But,  acting  on  his  instructions  from  Downing  Street,  he  rescr\oil 
to  the  Crown  the  control  of  the  Casual  and  Territorial  Revenue^. 
Over  this  reservation  the  strife  soon  broke  out  afresh,  for  the 
demands  of  the  .Assembly  grew  with  each  success.  By  iS^o,  wlien 
Kempt  was  succeeded  by  Lord  Aylmer,  the  Asseliibly  was  oiu e 
more  as  clamorous  as  ever.  Lord  Aylmer  strove  to  concili.uo 
them,  but  they  would  acce])t  nothing  less  than  the  full  surrender 
of  the  disputed  revenue  ;  and  this  the  Crown  wouUl  not  yield. 
The  Assembly  further  began  to  demand  that  the  I-egislative  Council 
should  be  made  electi\'e.  .\nd  now,  seeing  that  the  French  were 
aiming  to  get  full  control  of  all  departments  of  the  government, 
most  of  the  Ikitish  members  of  the  .Assembly,  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  their  institutions,  went  over  to  the  official  party.  Dur- 
ing the  next  three  years  the  fires  of  party  hate  waxed  hotter  and 
hotter.  The  .Assembly  refused  to  vote  supplies.  The  (Casual  and 
Territorial  Revenue  was  insufficMent  for  the  expenses  of  the  Civil 
List;    and  the   salaries  of  officials  were    left    unpaid.     Prattiial 


THE   NINETY- FOUR   RESOLUTIONS. 


267 


h 


legislation  ceased  ;  and  the  Assembly,  having  fallen  a  prey  to 
unaticism  and  the  eloquence  of  an  ambitious  visionary,  spent 
its  time  in  passing  votes  of  censure  on  the  government. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  l'aj)ineau  was  now  being  carried 
off  his  feet  by  the  adoring  flattery  of  his  countrymen.     In  intlam- 
ing  their  hearts  he  inflamed  himself;  and  he  began  to   papincau 
dream  of  a   French  Canadian  republic,  to  the  head   Kfo*8r"i». 
of  which  he  himself  would,  of  course,  be   raised  by  an  enthusi- 
astic and   gratetul  jteople.     He  was  doubtless  in  luve  with    the 
example  of  (ieorge  Washington,  but  the  great  Ameri<an's  sagacity 
was  something  which   I'apineau,  for  all  his  genius,  could  by  no 
means  emulate.     He  forgot  his  ancient  professions  of  loyalty,  his 
eloquent  admiration  for  British  institutions.     I  [e  so  far  forgot  his 
obligations  as  a  constitutional  legislator  under  oath,  that  he  spoke 
open  treason  from  the  chair  of  the  House.     He  denounced  mon- 
archy, thundered  in  praise  of  republicanism,  reviled  the  British 
as  tyrannous  usurpers,  and  held  up  the  United  States  as  an  exam- 
ple for  his  countrymen  to  follow.     It  was  not  strange  that  the 
British  should  retort  with  the  epithets  "rebel"  and  "traitor,"'  — 
wbich  Papineau,  blinded  by  vanity  and  ambition,  was  soon  to  make 
only  too  a[)t. 

At  length  the  Assembly  ilrew  up  a  statement  of  its  grievances, 

in  what   are    known    to    history  as  the  Ninety- four  Resolutions. 

These  famous  resolutions  were  passed  in  the  House   ^^  „.    , 

'  The  Ninety- 

with  most  violent  harangues,  and  then  forwardeil  to   four  Resolu- 
tions of 
England  as  an  address  to  King  and  Parliament.     Thev   Lower 

.  '     Canada, 

spoke  for  the  French  Canadians  only.  They  reiter- 
ated every  charge  of  tyranny,  fraud,  and  corruption  against  the 
official  party  in  the  province  ;  demanded  absolute  i:ontrol  of  all 
the  lands  and  revenues,  and  a  surrender  of  all  authority  to  the 
French  Canadian  population.  These  demands  were  coupled  with 
an  implied  threat  of  rebellion  in  case  of  refusal.  In  reply  the 
British  party  in  Lower  Canada  passed  another  address  to  the 
throne,  stating  their  side  of  the  story.  The  home  government, 
'I'liietly  ignoring  Pa]>ineau's  threats,  adopted  a  policy  of  concilia- 


268 


A   HIS  JOKY  OF  CANADA. 


tion.  Lord  Gosford  was  sent  to  Canada  as  governor-general 
and  as  chairman  of  a  Commission  of  Inquiry  (1835).  While 
tiiis  commission  was  at  work,  the  popular  excitemcwt  went  on 
growing,  fed  by  the  knowledge  that  Lord  Gosford's  instructions 
positively  forbade  him  to  grant  an  elective  Upper  House  or  an 
Executive  responsible  to  the  people.  The  train  was  now  well  laid 
for  an  explosion,  and  the  sp.iik  to  light  it  was  near  at  hand. 


...j 


ill 


W 


!|    « 


■  I*       . 


I 


; 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


SECTIONS:  — 79,  Political  Stku-k  in  Ui'Pf:!;  Cvnada.  80,  tiik 
Struggles  ln  Nova  Scotl\.  81,  Political  Si  rife  and  Othkr 
Mattkks  in  Nf.w  BiU'NswicK.  82.  Affairs  in  Cape  Breton. 
Prince  Eowaku  Island,  and  Newfolndland. 

79.  Political  Strife  in  Upper  Canada.  —  In  Uj^per  Canada, 
meanwhile,  there  had  been  almost  ceaseless  wrangling,  kindred  to 
that  in  the  French  province,  though  somewhat  less  The  excuses 
bitter.  All  power  was  in  the  hands  of  the  strictest  plcV'fo^their 
form  of  F'amily  Compact.  This  small  oligarchy  con-  toward\he 
trolled  not  only  all  the  gijvernment  offices,  but  the  p^°p'^- 
real  estate  and  nearly  all  the  business  of  the  province.  IJy 
the  amount  of  patronage  at  their  disposal  they  were  able  to 
get  their  followers  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and  so,  for  a  long 
time,  to  keep  that  troublesome  body  subser\'ient.  They  kept  the 
press  muzzled,  they  repelled  petitions  or  statements  of  popular 
grievances,  they  frowned  down  public  political  meetings,  they  dis- 
rouraged  the  education  of  the  lower  classes,  —  and  all  because 
they  had  before  their  eyes  the  dread  of  '76.  The  tendency  of 
these  things,  they  said,  was  toward  republicanism.  Their  fixed 
purpose  was  to  keep  the  republican  spirit  out  of  this  province 
which  had  grown  from  loyalist  seed.  Doubtless  selfishness  and 
arrogance,  in  many  cases,  had  much  to  do  with  their  attitude. 
But  there  was  a  good  deal  to  urge  in  excuse.  In  the  first  place, 
the  world  was  at  that  time  only  beginning  to  acknowledge  the 
claims  of  popular  liberty,  and  the  views  held  by  the  Canadian 
oligarchy  were  but  little  behind  the  age.     In  the  next  place,  the 

269 


270 


A   IIISTOKY   OF  CAA'AD.t. 


M 


official  party  was  made  up  of  loyalist-,  ox  the  sons  of  loyalists. 
Havii\g  suffered  and  bled  for  the  Crown,  they  were  rigid  to  up- 
hold the  prerogatives  ot  the  Crown;  and  not  unnaturally  thcv 
thought  that  they  themselves  were  tu'si  entitled  l<j  oxereise  the 
prerogatives  of  the  Crown,  as  well  a;i  to  reap  the  rich  rewards  nf 
that  exercise.  I'hcir  strongest  excuse,  however,  was  to  be  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  liberal  land  grants  of  Upper  Canada  had 
attracted  a  large  number  of  An)eri(  an  immigrants  into  the  prov- 
ince. "I'hese  immigrants  had  brought  with  them  repiU)li(  an  ])riii- 
ciples,  a  fondness  ft)r  noisy  agitation,  and  an  active  sentiment  for 
union  with  the  States.  'I'hey  liad  formed  the  chief  danger  of 
Canada  during  the  fiery  trial  of  181:;  -1X14;  and  after  the  w,ir 
was  over  they  came  in  growing  numbers.  To  the  mm  whose 
devotion,  whose  treasure,  and  whose  blood  had  saved  (  anada,  that 
kind  of  government  seemed  the  right  kind  wiiicii  best  kept  tiie 
disloyal  and  the  alien  out  of  power.  They  must  not  be  blamed 
too  severely  if  they  imagined  that  they  alone  were  capable  of 
governing  their  country  aright. 

Little  by  little  dissatisfaction  gathered  strength.  Men  remem- 
bered that  they  were  British  subjects.  They  saw  their  felIow-.>iih- 
jects  in  Great  Britain  enjoying  free  responsible  government.  Anl 
soon  they  began  to  assail  the  outworks  of  the  official  party.  Suiiie 
of  the  men  who  thus  put  themselves  forward  as  champions  of  e.|ii  il 
rights  and  representative  government,  were  themselves  of  lo\aiist 
The  Clergy  stock,  and  in  no  way  inferior  to  the  Compact  in  intellect 
Reseives.  ^^^  culture.  They  formed  the  solid  core  of  the  Reform- 
ers, and  stro\'e  to  hold  in  check  the  more  flighty  and  fanatical  ad 
herents  of  the  party.  Among  the  grievances  which  earlv  began  to 
vex  the  iJeoj)le  was  that  of  the  ("lergy  Reserves.  In  both  provinces 
vast  tracts  of  land  ha<l  been  set  apart  for  the  support,  as  the  .\rt 
said,  of  "the  Protestant  religion  in  Canada."  To  Lower  Cm. da 
this  was  distastefid,  being  taken  as  an  unjust  discrmiination  agamst 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;  but  other  questions  overshadowed  it. 
In  Upper  Canada  the  complaint  it  raised  was  a  very  different  one. 
In  the  first  place,  it  was  considered  excessive,  amounting  as  it  >!al 


'  f 


THE   CASE   OF  GO  UK  LAY. 


271 


in  that  province  to  two  and  a  half  millions  of  acres.  In  the  second 
place,  the  management  of  the  lands  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Family  Compact,  who  chose  to  interpret  the  words  "  Protestant 
religion"  as  referring  solely  to  the  Church  of  I']ngland,  with  some 
p()ssil)le  exception  in  favour  of  the  Church  of  Scotland.  This 
interpretation  excited  the  reasonable  anger  of  .Methodists  and 
l{a|)tists.  In  the  third  place,  the  Reserves  did  not  lie  in  one  block, 
hut  were  made  up  of  every  seventh  lot  in  the  surveyed  townships. 
These  lots  remained  unimproved  while  the  land  about  them  was 
cleared  and  tilled.  The  people  objected  to  such  wild  spaces  in 
the  midst  of  their  cultivated  settlements.  The  differences  thus 
arising  were  not  settled  till  toward  the  close  of  the  whole  con- 
stitutional struggle;  and  as  late  as  1836  the  control  f)f  the  ('lergy 
Reserves  enabled  the  Council  to  make  an  established  church  in 
Upper  Canada,  by  the  endowment  of  forty-four  rectories. 

The  strife  between  Reformer  and  Official  was  begun  by  one 
Robert  (iourlay,  a  lively  and  erratic  Scotchman  who  came  to 
Canada  in  1817  and  began  work  as  a  land-agent.  The  state  of 
affairs  in  Upper  Canada  at  once  aroused  his  wrath.  To  every 
township  he  sent  a  list  of  thirty-one  questions,  which   „^ 

went  deep  into  local  abuses.     The  sting  was  in  the   Robert  Gour- 

lay. 
last  question,  which  inquired  —  "  What,  in  your  opin- 
ion, retards  the  improvement  of  your  township  in  particular,  or 
the  province  in  general,  and  what  would  most  contribute  to  the 
same?"  T^he  (questions  brought  public  dissatisfaction  to  a  crisis. 
Meetings  were  held  to  discuss  them,  and  Courlay's  advice  to  the 
people  was  that  they  should  complain  to  the  Colonial  Office.  The 
Family  Compact  took  alarm.  They  passed  an  act  in  the  Legis- 
lature which  strikes  us  now  as  tyrannous  beyond  belief,  —  an  act 
forbidding  all  conventions.  It  is  hard  to  realize  that  only  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago  such  an  act  could  be  passed  in  Canada, 
and  Canadians  endure  it.  Then  the  Compact  determined  to  expel 
tliis  troublesome  Gourlay  for  his  unpleasant  habit  of  asking  (|ues- 
tions.  He  was  arrested,  tried  for  libel  at  Kingston,  and  accjuitted. 
He  was  arrested  again  and  tried  at  Brockville,  with  the  same  result. 


1    ' 


III 


'I 


M 


272  ^    ///S'/OAV  01>    CANADA, 

He  was  arrested  yet  again,  this  titneon  a  charge  of  sedition,  thrown 
into  prison,  and,  in  dclian*  e  of  every  |)rin(i|)le  of  Itritish  justice, 
kept  there  seven  months  without  trial.  At  length  (1X19)  he  was 
tried,  and  this  time  in  Niagara,  where  the  |)ro|)k'  were  ill  sup. 
jiorters  of  the  Compact.  The  unhappy  Scot(  huum,  broken  down 
in  mind  ami  body  by  his  unjust  imprisonnu-iu,  was  brought  before 
a  partial  jndge  and  i  prejudiced  jury,  'liie  trial  was  a  mockery  <>f 
justice,  and  (lourlay,  declared  guilty  of  sedition,  was  driven  om  «)f 
Upper  Canada.  Hut  his  fate  opened  men's  eyes  ;  and  from  tti.it 
day  the  ])ower  of  the  (Compact  was  tloomed.  'I'he  agitation  f.,r 
Reform  never  afterwards  ceased  till  the  fulness  of  its  tnunipli  hi 
complete  Responsible  ( iovernment. 

Among  the  leaders  of  the  official  party  the  two  strongest  jxr- 

sonalities  were  those  of  a  Loyalist  lawyer  andaS(i»f(  li 
Two  leaders  ^  ^ 

of  the  Com-  K.piscopalian  divine.  John  Heverley  Robin.son,  ulkU- 
pact. 

attorney-general  of  the  province  at  the  age  of  twcniN  - 

one,  and  afterwards  chief  justice  and  a  baronet,  was  a  typical  lory 
of  the  l)est  type.  He  wa-:  fearless,  whether  before  the  guns  of  a 
hostile  army  or  the  clamours  of  an  angry  mob.  He  was  cafiable, 
unyielding,  dogmatic,  arrogant,  honest,  and  convinced  of  the  diviiie 
right  of  the  Compact  to  rule  the  province.  Doctor  John  Strac  han, 
afterwards  first  Bishop  of  Toronto,  was  made  a  member  of  tiie 
Executive  Council  in  181 5,  when  he  was  rector  of  York.  He  was 
not  only  an  uncompromising  member  of  the  Compact,  hating 
democratic  principles  as  the  worst  form  of  heresy,  but  he  was  a  No 
a  subtle  and  skilled  politician.  His  was  the  guidin~  intellect  of  the 
official  party.  His  hand  made  the  moves  which  so  often  seemel 
to  checkmate  the  Reformers. 

So  much  slower  was  the  growth  of  the  popular  party  in  Upper 
William  Lyon  ^^an  in  Lower  Canada,  that  it  was  not  till  1824  that 
Mackenzie.  ^j^^  Assembly  showed  a  reform  majority  and  came 
into  conflict  with  the  governor  and  Council.  In  this  year  William 
Lyon  Mackenzie,  a  fiery  young  Scotchman  who  had  come  to 
Canada  four  years  before,  started  a  paper  called  the  Colonial 
Advocate   in  the  interests  of  the  reform  movement.      The  new 


wm 


.'//.7i'//'A'./A'  y  (;or/.A\vA/j-:.v7: 


273 


jDiiniil  published  sc.athitij;  criticisms  of  tin-  Compact,  .mrl  threw 
a  dangerous  hghl  upon  certain  grave  abuses.  I'hr  hostihty  of 
the  governor  and  both  Councils  was  at  once  turned  upon  tlie  dar- 
ing journalist,  'llu'.  Coli^nuil  Advocate  jjroved  unprufitablc.  and 
before  it  was  two  vears  old  Ma(  kenzie  was  in  trouble.  Hut  just 
at  this  juncture  the  tolly  of  the  otfuials  gave  it  a  new  lease  of  life 
(1X26).  A  gang  of  young  men,  ;->ons  of  the  Comp.u.t,  broke  into 
Mackenzie's  office,  destroyed  the  presses,  and  t  inj)iicd  the  types 
iuio  the  lake.  The  rowdies,  however,  were  spi'ijdily  brought  to 
trill,  and  condemn<'d  to  j^ay  Mackenzie  about  three  thousand 
dollars  damages,  —  a  sum  which  greatly  eased  the  needy  editor. 

( )tluT   things   happened  to  stir  u|)    the    people's    indignation. 
MoHibcrji  of  the  o|)position  in  the  As-enibly  were  s|)ied  upon  and 
pcrsei'uted.       A   Kritisli  half-pay  ofhccr,  ("aptaui    Matthews,  for 
having,  m  an  afler-dinner  mood,  oallerl  upon  some  strolling  Ameri- 
can players  to  give  two  or  three  American  national   Arbitrary 
airs,  was  rejjorted  to  the  home  government  for  dis-   gover*nor  and 
loyally,  ;ind  lost  his  pension.     A  certain  Judge  Willi ;,   Executive 
sent  out  from  Mngland.  incurred  the  wr.it h  of  the  (.'ompact  by  his 
strictures  upon  their  modes  of  administering  justice,  and  was  re- 
moved from  his  position.      Then  a  gras[)ing    um-keeper  named 
Forsyth,  at  Niagara  Falls,  built  a  high  fence  alf)ng  the  front  of 
his  place,  to  shut  out  the  view  and  force  visitors  to  pass  through 
hi>  grounds  if  they  wished  to  see  the  great  cataract,     (lovernor 
Maitland  ordered  him  to  take  away  the  obstruction,  but  lYirsyth 
refused.     Thus  far,  P'orsyth  was  in  the  wrong.     J'ut  the  arliitrary 
governor  made  haste  to  put   himself  in  the  '.vrong,  —  and  at  once 
tlio  avaricious  Bonitace  appeared  a  victim  of  'IVu)  iicrsecution.     A 
si|uad  of  soldiers  appeared,  tore  down  the  fence,  de-itroyed  a  house 
ut"  Forsyth's  which  stood  on  his  own  land,  and  threw  the  wreck 
into  the  I'alls.     'I'he  .Assembly  undertook  to  invciligate  the  outrage. 
Certain  government  officials  were  summoned  before  the  House  to 
give  evidence  ;  but  on  Maitland's  rash  advice  they  refused  to  obey 
the   summons.     The  Assembly    had  thein    arrested    and    put   in 
i)ri>on  ;  whereupon  the  governor  dissolved  the  House.     This  led 


274 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


V  { I 


HI 

in 


Ir! 


U)  such  a  storm  of  anger  that  Maitland  was  promptly  recalled  hv 
the  (Colonial  Office  0828).  He  was  siicceetled  l»y  Sir  |(ihn  ("ol- 
borne.  IJiit  the  ciiange  brought  no  more  temperate  counsels,  no 
cessation  ot"  the  conflict.  Editors  of  reform  journals  fiercelv 
criticised  the  officials,  and  were  answeretl  by  fines  and  im|)ris()n- 
ment.  Solicitor-General  Boulton,  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Comi)act,  refused  to  give  evidence  when  summonetl  to  do  so 
by  a  committee  of  the  House.  I'"or  this  llagrant  disobedience  he 
was  called  before  the  bar  of  the  House,  and  sternly  reitrimanded 
by  the  speaker,  Mr.  Marshall  Bidwell. 

But  now  the  party  of  the  Reformers  began  to  split  iiit'i  two 
sections.     Men    of  dignity,  sagacity,    and    loyalty,   like   Speaker 

Bidwell,   Robert    Baldwin,   and   the   great   Methodist 
A  split  in  the  " 

Reform  Lovalist,  Egerton  Ryerson,  would  not  tolerate  the  ex- 

party.  ' 

tremes  and  violence  of  the  Mackenzie  faction.    This 

split,  ill  1830,  enabled  the  ("ompact  to  gain  a  majority  in  the 
Assembly.  The  occasion  was  seized  to  pass  what  was  known  as 
the  "  Everlasting  Salaries  Bill."  This  made  a  perm  inent  grant 
for  the  salaries  of  judges  and  officials,  thus  rendering  them  s;iil 
further  independent  of  die  Assembly.  The  bill  was  att  icked 
with  great  force  by  Mackenzie,  who  had  been  elected  member  for 
York ,  and  the  angry  majority,  since  they  could  not  beat  hun  in 
argument,  expelled  him.  Again  and  again  he  was  returned  by 
his  enthusiastic  constituents,  only  to  be  as  promptly  turned  otit 
for  disagreeing  with  the  majority,  He  then  went  tt^  I'-nghuid  to 
lay  his  complaints  before  the  Throne  ;  and  the  colonial  sec  rotary 
declaretl  his  exj^ulsion  illegal.  Still  the  Assembly,  blindly  obsti- 
nate; and  scorning  even  the  authority  for  which  the  (^omjiact  pro- 
fessed such  veneration,  refused  10  admit  him.  He  bei  ame  then 
a  sort  of  popular  idol,  almost  as  frantically  adored  by  certain 
classes  as  Papineau  in  the  sister  province;  and  in  1834,  when 
York  was  incorporated  and  took  again  its  old-time  name  of 
Toronto,  he  was  elected  first  mayor  of  the  city.  In  thi-  vcar 
the  breach  between  the  moderate  Reformers  and  the  extremists 
grew  wider.    The  cause  of  this  was  a  letter  received  by  Mackenzie 


wi»»iMin^w>Mirt»»» 


h'J'J-OKMJ.KS   FAVOURED   BY   COLONIAL  OFI-ICE.     275 

Ivoin  Ilumc,  the  English  radical,  in  which  he  said  that  the  course 
ot  events  in  Canada  must  "terminate  in  independence  and  free- 
dom from  the  baneful  dominatit)n  of  the  mother  country."  As 
these  sentii.ients  were  not  rejjudiated  by  Mackenzie,  Mac  !■  :n/ae 
was  angrily  rc])U(liated  by  Ryerson  and  otiier  loyal  Reformers. 
Ill  spite  of  this  split,  however,  the  Compact  was  beaten  in  the 
next  election,  ami  the  Reformers  had  a  majority  in  the  new  Mouse. 
Ilidwell  wa.-.  once  more  made  speaker,  and  Mackenzie  was  made 
chairman  of  a  "Special  Committee  on  Crievances"  (1835).  Tlie 
n'port  of  tiiis  (ommittee  opened  the  eyes  of  the  Colonial  Office 
til  the  -^tate  of  affairs  in  the  province,  and  Sir  John  Colborne  was 
I  ■.  .lilcd.  Mis  last  act  was  a  deliberate  defiance  oi  the  people. 
Ih;  established  and  endoweil,  from  the  Cler^^y  Reserves,  the  forty- 
four  rectories  already  referred  to.  The  number  was  intended  to 
be  fit"ly-six,  but  before  all  the  patents  were  made  out  the  matter 
came  lo  the  ears  of  the  A^seinbly,  and  the  speaker  i)ut  a  stop  to 
it  at  that  point. 

The  Colonial  Office  was  ik^v  sincerely  bent  upon  limiting  the 
tyraimy  of  the  Compact,  securing  the  rights  of  the  ]>eople,  and 
conciHating  the  Reformers,  as  far  as  all  these  things  xheCoiomai 
could  be  done  without  weakening  the  authority  of  ^^Re'-^^"**" 
the  Crown.  The  point  on  which  the  home  gov-  *°™^"- 
ernnicnt  was  most  unwilling  to  yield  was  that  of  niaking  the 
Kxecutivc  responsible  to  the  people.  It  was  still  held  in  iMigland 
that  colonists  were  dependents,  and  therefore  in  a  sense  inferior 
to  the  Hritish  voter  at  home.  The  British  lOxecutive  was,  of 
course,  responsible  to  the  British  people  ;  btu  to  give  ('olonial 
voters  a  like  control  of  their  own  I'^xecutive,  would,  it  was  thought, 
do  away  with  a  righteous  distinction  between  colonists  and  full 
citizens.  It  was  fiu'ther  held  that  with  complete  self-govern- 
ment the  colonists  would  grow  too  independent,  and  by-and-by 
throw  off  their  allegiance  after  the  example  of  their  southern  kin. 
ihe  home  government  was  hampered,  therefore.  Its  good-will 
■'jvvard  the  colonies  was  sincere  ;  but  it  did  not  yet  understand 
'lie    situation.       Upper    Canada    now    neeiled    a    governor    of 


2/6 


//   HISTORY   OF  CAS'ADi. 


\\\ 

in 


1 

i 

li,r 


special  tact  and  ])nulence,  who  wouli J  l>e  able  to  exact  conce.ssicms 
from  both  the  opposing  parties.  Instead  of  such  a  one,  Dowiiinf^r 
Street  sent  out  the  seh-confident  jnd  Wnndcring  Sir  Francis 
Bond  Head. 

'I'he  new  governor  at  once  called  three  prominent  Reformers 
to  the  Executive.  At  the  same  time,  liowever,  in;  assured  them 
Sir  Fiancis  ^'^^t  they  were  in  no  way  responsible  to  the  people,  but 
Bond  Head  ^^  j^j,^  ^^j^j^,  ^  ^^^y^  jj^.^,  he  did  not  consider  it  neces- 
sary to  ask  their  advice  except  when  he  should  chance  to  feel  thot 
he  needed  it.  Upon  receiving  this  statement  of  extreme  aljsolu- 
tism  the  three  Reformers  resigned  their  seats,  —  and  the  mdignant 
Sir  Francis  at  once  allietl  himself  with  the  Compact.  Anew  Coun- 
cil was  fornied,  exclusively  Tory.  The  Assembly  passed  an  address 
censuring  Sir  Francis  ;  and  for  the  first  time  in  Upper  Canada 
happened  that  wliich  m  Lower  ("anada  had  become  (luitc  ihc 
custom,  —  the  Assembly  refused  to  vote  supplies.  The  l\eformei> 
of  the  two  provinces,  meanwhile,  had  been  drawing  togetiu'v  for 
sympathy,  and  now  from  Papineau  came  a  letter  to  SiJtaker 
Ridwell,  urging  tbiU  the  Reformers  of  all  the  British  North 
American  provinces  should  join  in  the  fight  for  self-governniem. 
Sir  Francis  cried  out  that  this  was  republicanism,  and  tbrtliwith 
dissolved  the  House,  A  new  election  was  held,  the  governoi  him- 
self taking  the  stump  and  haranguing  as  a  violent  partisan.  He 
declared  that  the  tight  was  for  monarchy  and  British  connection 
—  and  this  cry,  falling  on  loyahst  ears,  carried  the  day.  Men 
who  hated  the  tyranny  of  the  Compact  bitterly  enough  were  never- 
theless willing  to  endure  it  rather  than  side  with  disloyalty  and 
treason.  The  new  House  showed  a  niajority  in  Mippijrt  ut  the 
Compact ;  and  Mackenzie,  Bidwcll.  Rolph,  and  other  Icauaij; 
Reformers  were  left  out.  Fnraged  at  tlii:-,  and  puffed  up  by  the 
flattery  of  his  followers,  the  excitable  Mackenzie  stretched  out  both 
hands  to  Bapineau  and  [)lanned  oiien  rebellion. 

80.  The  Struggle  in  Nova  Scotia.  —  In  Nova  Scotia  and  New 
Brunswick  the  struggle  for  representative  institutions  went  o.w  n.oio 
temperately,  and  came  to  a  climax  more  gradually,  than  in  tiie 


\  \ 


DEPKJiSS/O.V  LV  NOVA   SCOTIA. 


277 


Upjjcr  Provinces.  The  (juestions  at  issue  between  Official  and 
Reformer  were  more  simple.  They  wc-e  not  complicated  by 
questions  of  race,  and  the  line  of  division  .  'tween  the  Depression  in 
different  classes  of  society  was  not  drawn  with  such  NovaScotia. 
arrogance.  In  Nova  Scotia  the  close  of  the  war  brought  a  depart- 
ure of  ships,  a  diminution  of  troops,  and  therefore  a  speedy  col- 
lapse of  trade.  This  was  felt  most  of  all  in  Halifax.  The  chief 
naval  station  was  removed  from  Halifax  to  Bermuda.  The  popu- 
lation shrank,  and  hundreds  of  workmen  were  fed  by  the  Poor 
Man's  Society.  For  five  years  the  people  were  fully  occupied  and 
patriotically  united  in  the  effort  to  improve  their  province.  Men's 
thoughts  were  kc{)t  away  from  politics.  What  rather  interested 
the  people  were  such  things  as  letters  in  the  ne\vspa]>ers  on  the 
state  of  provincial  agriculture  ;  and  a  series  of  such  letters  by  an 
anonymous  "Agricola"  led  to  the  establishment  of  an  Agricultural 
Society,  with  Lord  Dalhousie  as  president  and  the  public-spirited 
unknown'  as  sec.etary.  Education,  too,  was  a  question  of  gen- 
eral interest.  A  system  ot  parish  schools  was  begun;  and  in  182 1 
Dalhousie  College  was  founded,  chiefly  with  the  moneys  of  the 
Castine  Fund  already  referred  to.  Lord  Dalhousie,  doomed  later 
to  win  himself  such  an  ill  renown  in  Lower  Canada,  was  fairly 
popular  in  Nova  Scotia.  The  first  symptoms  of  the  approaching 
struggle  made  themselves  felt,  however,  during  his  administration. 
The  Assembly  advanced  certain  charges  against  the  collector  of 
customs,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Executive  Council.  At  such 
|iresum))tion  Lord  Dalhousie  grew  righteously  indignant. 

In  sjMte  of  the  fact  that  the  Family  Compact  in  Nova  Scotia 
formed  an  irresponsible  oligarchy,  holding  all  offices,  powers,  and 
privileges  in  their  grasp,  the  people  were  slow  to  move  strong  posi- 
agaiust  their  rulers.    The  officials,  indeed,  were  strongly  compact'fn 
entrenched.     The  Executive  Council  and  the   Legis-   ""^^  Scotia. 
lative  Council  formed  one  body  ;  and  they  sat  with  closed  doors, 


1"  Agricola"  revealed  himself  as  a  Sootcliman  named  John  Young.     He  en- 
tered tlie  Assembly,  and  became  prominent  in  the  politics  of  Nova  Scotia. 


I 


!'  I 


"f 


I  I 


278 


A    in  STORY  OF  CANADA. 


careless    of    public,    oiiinion,    careless    of    the    Assemlily    itself. 

(iricvances    there    were;    but   the    governor,    Sir   James    Kempt 

( 1820-1  S2.S),  was  devoted  to  the  <level(i[nuent  of  the  provinre. 

lie  improved    the   roads.     He  opened  up  communications.     In 

1827,   under   his  auspices,    the   Shubenacadie   Canal   was  bemui 

to  connect   llalifiix  harbour  with  the  head  waters  of  the  l'.a\  of 

Fund),  —  a  work  which  was  expected   to  develop    the   internal 

growth  of  tlu.'  province,  as  well  as  feed  the  commerce  of  Halifax. 

'l"he    j)eople  needed  some   burning   (juestiiMi,  or  else  a  iiowerfiil 

leader,  to  make  them  attack  the  strong  supremacy  of  the  Cunipuct. 

In  1830  (  ame  up  a  ([uestion  of  taxation,  and  it  seemed  as  if 

the  fight  was  fairly  begun.     The  Assembly  had  some  years  l<efore 

put  a  duty  of  one  shilling  and  fourpence  i)er  uallon 
Dispute  over      '  -'  "  1  1        b        •» 

the  brandy       on  brandy  :   anil  now  they  discovered  that  the  diuv 

duty. 

actually  collected  was  only  one  sliilling  per  gallon. 
They  ])rotested,  anil  dialled  for  the  exaction  of  the  full  tax.  The 
C'ouncil  refused  to  agree,  so  high  a  tax  being  unpopular  with  their 
friends,  who  seem  to  iiave  been  the  chief  consumers  of  the  article 
in  ([uestion.  As  neitiier  body  would  yield,  there  were  no  collec- 
tions for  a  year;  — and  the  province  lost  nearly  ;,{^'25,ooo,  while 
Halifax  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  cheap  brandy.  Then  came  a 
general  election,  bruiging  in  a  new  .Assemblv  which  proved  even 
more  unyielding  than  its  predecessor;  and  at  last  the  (.'oiuiril 
with  much  grumbling  agreed  to  the  tax. 

Trouble  next  arose  on  the  management  of  affairs  in  Halifax, 
which,  not  being  incorporated,  was  governed  by  magistrates  in 
Howe's  libel  ^'^^"  interest  of  the  l^omjiact.  There  were  crying 
'^*®^'  abuses,   corrupt   mismanagement,  and  neglect  of  the 

l)ublic  needs.  And  now  came  forward  as  champion  of  the  popu- 
lar catHC  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  the  sons  of  Nova  Scotia, 
Josei)h  Howe,  born  of  loyalist  p.\rents,  near  Halifax,  in  1S04, 
was  at  this  time  editor  of  a  Halifax  newspaper  called  the  A'ova- 
scotian.  In  the  columns  of  his  journal  (iS_^5)  an  anonymous 
correspondent  denounced  the  magistrates,  and  charged  thein 
with  defrauding  the  city  to  the  amount  of  ;$4ooo  :i  year.    The 


\\ 


wmB 


mm 


JOSEPH  HOWE. 


279 


immediate  result  of  this  bold  step  was  that  Howe  found  himself 
attacked  with  the  favourite  wea|>on  of  the  C'ompac  t,  namely,  an 
action  for  criminal  libel.  Confident  in  his  elo<iuence  and  in  his 
case,  Howe  niLide  his  own  defence,  and  spoke  before  tiie  jury  for 
six  hours.  His  prosecutor  was  one  of  the  most  elocpient  of  his 
fellow-countrymen,  the  Hon.  S.  (i.  \\'.  Archibald,  then  attorney- 
general  of  the  i)rovince.  But  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  judge 
I  barged  flatly  against  him,  Howe  was  acquitted  ;  anil  the  enthusi- 
astic citizens  kept  holiday  in  honour  of  his  triumpli. 

Howe  became  the  popular  idol,  as  Pa])ineau  was  in  Lower 
Canada,  as  Mackenzie  was  with  a  noisy  section  in  Upjjer  (Canada. 
But  the  contrast  was  great  between  Howe  and  these  other  tribunes 
of  the  people.  The  Nova  Scotian  reforuu-r,  while  impetuous, 
fearless,  and  imcompromising,  was  unimpeachably  loyal.  He 
wanted  nothing  biu  what  was  to  be  got  by  constitutional  means. 
"Red  fool  fury  "  was  hateful  to  him,  and  ridiculous.  Though  his 
eloquence  and  his  magnetism  could  sway  an  audience  as  the  wind 
sways  a  field  of  wheat,  he  had  a  fund  of  humour  that  held  him 
worlds  apart  from  the  vainglorious  rashness  of  Mackenzie  and 
Papineau.  He  did  not  think  that,  because  the  people  cheered 
him,  he  could  therefore  defy  the  old  lion  of  England  and  set  up 
a  little  republic  between  Cape  Sable  and  Cape  North.  He  led 
the  people,  but  he  was  not  misled  by  them. 

When  Howe  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  he  set  his  hand  at 

once  to  reform.     He  had  able  assistants  in  Young,  Huntington, 

and  Lawrence  O'Connor  Doyle.     His  first  step  was   „ 

•^  '  Howe's 

an  attack  on  the  Council  for  sitting  with  closed  doors.  Twelve Reso- 
a^  it  Its  busmess  were  a  private  ailair.  This  vote  of 
(ensure  froni  the  Assembly  was  scornfully  ignored  by  the  Council ; 
\vhereu[ion  the  Assembly  passed  a  series  of  Twehe  Resolutions, 
condemning  both  the  constitution  and  procedure  of  the  Council, 
and  accusing  that  body  of  setting  its  own  interests  before  the 
public  good.  This  called  forth  an  uproar,  which  Howe  quieted 
by  shrewdly  rescinding  the  resolutions,  saying  that  they  had  done 
their  work  in  opening  the  eyes  of  the  public.    The  gist  of  thera^ 


"^-y^m 


280 


/I   HISTORY   OF  CAS' ADA. 


n 


If 


'  h-  \i 


however,  was  embodied  in  a  petition  to  the  Throne,  praying  for 
redress   of   grievances.      The    residt   was    a   victory,   but    by  no 
means  a  complete  one.     The  accession  of  Queen  Victoria  (1S37) 
brought  on  general  elections  everywhere,  and  with  the  gatheriii;' 
of  the  new   Assemljly  at  Halifax  came  new   instructions  to  ti'c 
governor  from   Westminster.      The  doors  of  the  council    vi>oni 
were  opened  to  the  public,  the  Legislative  and  ICxecntive  couiicils 
were  separated,  the  chief  justice  and  the  bish()[)  were  foi bidden 
to  sit  in  either  council,  the  control  of  the  revenues   (except  tiie 
Casual  and  Territorial)   was  put  in  the  hands  of  the  Asseml)ly, 
and  the  Executive  was  made  to  include  members  of  botli  Houses. 
But  these  concessions  were   in  great  part  made  useless  by  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  carried  out.     The  governor  of  Nova 
Scotia  at  this  time  was  the  veteran  general  Sir  Colin  Campbell, 
respected  for  his  sincerity  by  friend  and  foe  alike,  but  obstinatelv 
opposed  to  any  growth  of  popular  power.     He  appointed,  indeed, 
members  of  the  Assembly  to  seats  in  the  Executive  Council ;   but 
the  members  so  appointetl  were  all  adherents  of  the  Com])act. 
The  Assembly,  now  controlling  the  customs  revenues,  refused  to 
make  permanent  provision  for  the  Civil  List,  preferring  to  pass  an 
appropriation  bill  each  year,  and  declaring  tnat  the  s.ilaric.s  then 
paid  were  much  too  high  for  a  province  in  such  needy  circum- 
stances.    Delegations  were  sent  to  London  by  both  parties,  to 
carry  their  quarrel  and  argue  their  case  before  the  home  govern- 
ment,    lint  this  time  the  Reformers  gained  litUe.     Their  urgent 
demand   for   an    elective    upper    house,    and    for    an    executive 
responsible    to   the   people,   was   not    heard    kindly  in  D(nvnin[; 
Street.      And  for  a   time   such   principles   l)ecame  unpopular  in 
Nova  Scotia  itself.     The  insane  rebellions  in  L'pper  and  Lower 
Canada,  though  sternly  discountenanced  by  Hi)\ve  and  hih  fol- 
lowers, were  used  by  the  Official  party  as  an  excuse  for  taunting 
the    Reformers   with    republicanism   and    treason.      They   called 
forth,   however,   a   vigorous    loyalty   all    through    the    Maritime 
Provinces,   a  loyalty  in  which  Reformer   and  Official   strove   to 
outdo  each  other;    and  then  came  a  lull  in  the  noise  of  pariv 


a   .  I 


WW 


S/M  //OIVAA'D   DOUGLAS. 


281 


Strife.     Ten  years  more  of  agitation  and  dispute  were  yet  to  be 
eiultired  before  the  final  triumph  of  Responsible  Government. 
81.    Political  Strife,  and  Other  Matters  in  New  Brunswick. — 

111  New  Brunswick,  as  we  liave  already  seen,  the  ([uarrel  between 
Assembly  and  Executive  began  early.  We  noted,  at  sir  Howard 
the  close  of  the  preceding  century,  the  preliminary  wewf Bruns- 
struggle  for  control  of  the  revenues,  and  the  conse-  ^'"''''" 
quent  dead-lock.  The  same  struggle,  persistent  rather  than  fierce, 
was  renewed  from  time  to  time;  till  in  1818  the  governor,  Mr. 
Tracey  Suiythe,  indignantly  dissolved  the  House.  The  record  of 
quarrels  and  reconciliations  in  all  the  restless  provinces  grows 
most  wearisome  to  tell  or  to  consider.  On  the  coming  of  Sir 
Howard  Douglas  as  governor  (1824)  a  more  amiable  spirit  pre- 
vailed. Both  parties  united  with  the  patriotic  governor  in  efforts 
for  the  advancement  of  the  province.  The  population  was  now 
something  less  than  seventy-five  iliousand.  It  was  so  completely 
dependent  upon  the  lumber  interest  and  ship-building  that  agricul- 
ture was  sadi)  behindhand.  The  governor,  seeing  that  the  lumber- 
trade  was  bound  sooner  or  later  to  decay,  sought  to  turn  the 
attention  of  the  people  toward  the  sounder  occupation  of  farming. 
To  open  up  the  province  he  ran  new  roads  and  strove  for  the  im- 
Itr  -/finent  of  old  ones.  This  was,  in  those  days,  a  prime  duty 
ot  colonial  governors.  Education,  too,  came  in  for  his  diligent 
care,  and  through  his  efforts  was  presently  founded  at  I'rederic- 
ton  a  college  called,  like  the  similar. establisliment  in  Nova  Scotia, 
King's  College,  later  to  become  the  University  of  New  lirunswick. 
In  the  year  after  Sir  Howanl's  coming  the  province  was  visited 
by  a  disaster  whose  effects  may  even  yet  be  traceil  in  the  vast 
charred  tracts  of  tiie  interior.  This  calamity  was  the  TheMuanu- 
great  Miramichi  fire.  'i"he  summer  of  1S25  had  '^•"^'■<^- 
been  one  of  heat  and  drought  over  the  northern  half  of  the  conti- 
nent. For  months  there  was  no  rain.  All  through  .September 
the  inhabitants  of  the  New  lirunswick  towns  and  villages  were 
kept  uneasy  by  the  threat  of  forest  fire-.  The  air  about  Frederic- 
ton  was  thick  with  smoke.     At  the  close  of  the  month  a  blaze 


282 


A   I/ISTORy  Ol-    CANADA. 


\  I 


w 


\ii 


f  1- 


ran  in  through  the  fir  thickets  to  tho  very  outskirts  of  the  town, 
and  (iovernment  House  was  burned.  In  October  the  lire  broke 
out  in  the  vast  forest  region  about  the  upper  waters  of  the  Nash- 
waak.  The  woods  were  hke  so  much  tinder.  Hurled  forwartl  by 
a  great  wind,  the  hurricane  of  tlame  swept  out  tiie  wliole  heart  oi 
the  province,  from  the  waters  of  the  Minaniichi  U)  the  siiores  of 
Bay  (,'lialeur.  The  heaviest  sufferers  were  the  inhabitants  of  New- 
castle and  Douglastown,  on  the  northern  b.mk  of  the  Miramirlu. 
All  through  the  day  of  that  memorable  October  7th,  tiie  to\vn>f()lk 
had  been  weighed  down  by  the  sultry,  poisoned  air,  and  by  a 
dread  of  coming  woe.  The  c  attle,  warned  by  a  like  instinct, 
huddled  together  in  tVighteneil  groups  ;  and  wild  animals,  tamed 
by  fear,  crept  out  of  the  woods  to  seek  refuge  in  the  clearings. 
About  sundown  came  the  first  huge  breaths  of  a  burning  wind, 
and  through  the  sudden  darkness  could  be  seen  the  red  tlashings 
and  creepings  of  the  fire  along  the  western  sky.  Soon  the  wind 
grew  to  a  wild  gale,  and  up  from  the  horizon's  edge  the  tlauies 
leaped  ominously.  Then  came  an  appalling  roar,  that  bowed 
men's  souls  with  terror ;  the  sky  rained  hot  cinders  and  tlamini,' 
branches ;  and  the  heavens  grew  suddenly  one  sheet  of  flame. 
Through  the  horror  men  rushed  madly  to  seek  shelter  in  the 
streams,  carrying  their  sick  and  helpless  with  them.  Some 
pushed  out  in  l)oats  or  scows,  on  rafts  or  single  logs,  inio  the 
wide  and  wind-lashed  current  of  the  Miramichi.  Others  crouched 
down  in  the  water  along  shore,  where  they  were  crowded  and 
trampled  by  the  throng  of  frantic  animals  —  wolves,  bears,  t!ei  r, 
horses,  cattle,  all  in  strange  and  shuddering  confusion.  Shi|).s 
were  burned  at  their  moorings  before  they  could  get  clear.  .\11 
the  houses  of  the  Miramichi  settlements  were  wiped  out  of  exist- 
ence in  an  hour,  —  Newcastle,  at  that  time,  being  a  prospertus 
little  town  of  several  hundred  buildings.  In  the  Miramichi  region 
alone  there  died  that  night  one  hundred  and  sixty  persons,  some 
slain  by  the  fire,  some  drowned  l)y  the  waves  in  which  they  had 
sought  shelter.  But  scattered  over  the  interior  were  lonely  pio- 
neer families,  solitary  lumbermen,  for  many  of  whom  there  was 


i 


REPEAl.    OF   TIMBER  DUTIES. 


283 


no  possible  refuge  from  this  ocean  of  flame  that  raged  over  nearly 
six  thousand  sciuuic  miles.  Those  who  escaped  only  diil  so  by 
wallowing  in  the  lakes  and  wider  ?ireams.  The  heat  was  so  terrific 
that  in  shallow  waters  the  fish  were  struck  dead  by  thousands, 
and  afterwards,  washed  up  along  the  shores,  infected  the  air. 
The  intense  flame  in  places  lickeil  all  vegetable  matter  out  of  tin- 
soil,  so  that  to  this  day  there  are  wide  tracts  in  the  burnt  region 
where  nothing  grows  but  stunted  shrubbery.  The  loss  to  the 
province  was  estimated  at  about  ^228.000  in  goods  and  prop- 
erty, and  in  standing  timber  at  something  like  ^500,000.  The 
total  number  of  buildings  burnt  at  Miramichi  was  five  hundred 
and  ninety-five ;  of  cattle  and  horses  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
five.  Subscriptions  for  the  sufferers  were  taken  up  in  all  the 
provinces,  as  well  as  in  (ireat  Britain  and  the  United  States  ;  and 
nearly  ;j{^40,ooo  were  collected.  At  the  .same  time  that  this  great 
ruin  was  falling  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  i)rovince,  a  fire  broke 
out  also  in  Fredericton,  burning  eighty-nine  buiUlings ;  while 
another  at  Oromocto  village  destroyed  twenty  buildings. 

Soon  after  this  calamity  the  old  (piarrel  between  Maine  anil 
New  Brunswick  about  the  boundaries  once  more  grew  threat- 
ening. But  for  the  time  the  danger  was  averted,  q^^^^  Britain 
It  will  be  referred  to  more  fiilly  at  a  later  point  in  the  repeauhe" 
narrative,  when  the  whole  (piestion  of  the  Disputed  gaVuc"" 
Territory  comes  up  for  settlement.  The  effect  of  ^"»*'er. 
suffering  and  peril  was  to  draw  classes  more  closely  together  and 
quiet  the  bitterness  of  party  strife.  In  1S30  the  province  re- 
teived  a  rude  blow.  Tiie  British  West  India  trade  was  made 
free  to  the  world,  and  American  comijetition  cut  down  the 
profits  of  New  Brunswick's  fish  and  lumber.  The  stroke  was 
felt  in  Nova  Scotia  as  well  as  in  New  Brunswick.  Then  came 
news  which  caused  a  panic,  and  almost  stirred  the  very  loyalists 
to  rebellion,  (treat  Britain  proposed  to  repeal  the  duties  on 
Baltic  timber.  As  the  duties  then  stood,  the  lumber  of  the  colo- 
nies was  protected  in  the  English  market  by  a  heavy  duty  on  the 
product  of   foreign   forests.      The  withdrawal  of  this  protei  lion 


1 

{ • 

( 

f 

1 

■^'^mmigmm 


284 


//    IflSTOliY  OF  CANADA. 


\ 

;  \ 

' 

i 

1 

1 

i  H 


Hi' 


meant  ruin  to  the  trade  on  which  Now  Rrunswick  hud  ])inni'd  all 

htr  faith.     Angry  and  piteous  were  the  petitions  thai  went  across 

to  the  home  government.     Fortunately  Sir  Howard   I)ouglas,  in 

so  many  ways  tlie  good  genius  of  the  province,  was  in  Mnyland  at 

the  time  reporting  on  the  (luarrel  with  Maine.     He  issued  a  strong 

address  against  the  repeal  of  the  duty,  which  carried  such  weight 

that  the   bill  was  killed  in   Parliament,     In  grateful   enthusii:,in 

New  lirunswick  presented  Sir  Howard  with  a  service  of  plate; 

but  the  governc^r  did  not  return  to  the  post  he  had  so  adorned. 

In  championing  his  province  as  he  did  he  hail  brought  a  reverse 

upon  the  government  which  had  appointed  him,  and  he  therefore 

felt  Ixnmd  to  resign.     His  successor  was  CJeneral  Sir  Arcliiiial  1 

Campbell,  a  stiff-necked  old  soldier,  with  high  ideas  of  the  royal, 

and  his  own,  prerogative.     It  recpiired  no  keen  observer  to  guess 

that  the  political  calm  of  the  last  few  years  was  doomed  to  a  »peetly 

termination. 

In  the  Assembly  now  arose  a  leader  who  was  destined  to  do  for 

his  party  in  New  Brunswick  what  Howe  was  doing  in  Nova  S(  oiia. 

Lemuel  Allan  Wilmot,  a  lawyer  of  loyalist  stock  .'ind 
L.  A.  Wilmot.  ,.  ,  ,  r 

commanding  elo([uence,   became   a   figure  almost  as 

conspicuous  as  that  of  Howe,  though  he  lacked  the  magnetic 
and  robust  humour  of  the  Nova  Scotian  statesman.  In  pulia- 
mentary  tactics  and  in  debate  he  was  a  master.  The  Reform 
party  in  the  House  soon  began  pressing  its  demands.  Us  first 
success  was  the  separation  of  the  Executive  from  the  Legislative 
Council.  This  was  done  with  the  object  of  having  members  of 
the  Lower  as  well  as  the  Upper  House  on  the  Council  board  ; 
but  the  governor  managed  to  make  the  concession  vain  by  re- 
I'lising  to  ai)poiiU  any  new  members  whatever  to  the  Council, 
uhich  thus  remainetl  in  die  hands  of  the  Compact.  The  Re- 
formers then  turned  their  attention  to  tlie  Crown  Land  depart- 
ment, the  mismanagement  of  which  was  one  of  their  chief  griev- 
ances. This  department  was  managed  by  a  chief  commissioiuT, 
whose  salary  was  extravagantly  large.  He  used  his  position  to 
favour  the  rich  lumbermen  and  other  members  of  the  Compact, 


VBX.f.m 


PARr.TAMr.XTAR V  D/sruji.!;. 


285 


and  was  indiffcrfMU  to  the  censure  of  the  Asseinhly.  The  revenues 
of  his  department  wore  tliose  Casual  and  'I'erritorial  Revenue.^  of 
uiiit-'h  we  iiavc  hearil  so  much.  Tluiy  were  beyond  the  control 
of  the  Assembly,  and  were  used  to  pay  ihe  expenses  of  tlie  Civil 
!  1st,  thus  makini;  the  public  officials  in(le[)endent  of  the  jjoople 
ulu)in  they  wi  re  supposed,  by  a  ])olite  fiction,  to  serve.  The  As- 
sembly asked  for  an  account  of  the  e.\[>enditure  of  tins  revenue  : 
but  Sir  .Archibald,  who  had  small  love  for  the  Kefornicrs  antl  their 
doctrines,  refused  to  gire  it. 

The  answer  of  the  Assemblv  to  this  rebuff  was  the  despatcii 
ot  delegates  to  ]>ondon,  to  i^iay  thai  the  control  of  the  dis- 
puted revenue  should  be  givLMi  to  die  iieople's  rcij- 

'  ,  ,  '        '  '       iJispuLcs 

resciitatives.     'I'heso    delegil.;-.    were    well    received;   wuhtiie 

Execuiivc. 
l.Mit  their  mission  fliiled.     On  tins  failure  the  Assembly 

grew  only  the  more  determined  ;  while  the  .ibuses  in  the  Crown 
[,aiul  de])arinient  grew  yearly  the  more  shameless.  Returning  to 
the  attack,  the  .Assembly  pas>^cd  in  183(1  a  resolution  calling  for 
a  detailed  statement  of  the  sales  of  g(j\  eminent  lands  for  the 
])receding  year.  The  obstinate  governor,  ignoring  hi;,  orders 
from  Loiuhjn,  refused  to  give  the  House  any  sucii  statement. 
Mr.  Wilmt^t  and  iMr.  Crane  were  sent  to  England  with  a  new 
petition.  To  the  King,  the  sagicions  William  IV,  anil  to  his  colo- 
nial secretary,  the  claim  of  the  .Assembly  to  control  all  moneys 
seemed  nothing  more  than  reasonable.  The  petition  was  granted. 
The  Assembly  was  allowed  full  charge  of  the  disinited  re\enues; 
and  was  recpiired  in  return  to  make  permanent  provision  for  the 
salaries  of  governor  and  officials.  The  appointing  of  members  of 
the  .Assembly  to  seats  on  the  I'"xecutive  was  recommended.  And 
the  governor  and  Council  werL  <jrdeied  to  submit  detailed  ac- 
counts of  the  Crown  Land  department  to  the  Assembly  at  every 
session. 

The  victory  was  an  overwhelming  one  for  the  Assembly ;  but 
the  governor  strove  to  prevenr  the  carrying  out  of  these  conces- 
sions. He  sent  the  Ho:i.  (icorge  F.  Street,  one  of  the  most 
influential   members   of  the  Otficial  party,  to   London,  to  plead 


iH6 


A  /frsro/n'  or  Canada. 


\  I  ! 


J    : 


M 


I'    f  i 


li  i 


<igainst  the  ch.mgft.  Oatio  and  Wilinot  foiled  Street's  efforts. 
The  implacal'le  gDvernor  then  resigned,  rather  than  yii.ld  to  ilu- 
Sir  John  KefoiiKicrs.     He  was  succeeded  by  the  liero  of  Stony 

Jfffithc  (r<:ek,  Sir  John  Harvey  (1H37).  The  Civil  l,isi  l.iij 
*'""■'  was  passed  :   and  peace,  under  the  judicious  lule  of 

Sir  John  Harvey,  descended  upon  the  politics  <>{  New  I'runswi'  k. 
The  grateful  Assembly  had  a  full-length  portrait  painted  of  liie 
ccjionial  secret,  uy,  Lord  Olenelg,  to  hang  over  the  speaker's 
chair.  The  intention  of  (llenelg,  in  procuring  the  passage  of  the 
C!ivil  List  Hill,  was  tluit  its  provisions  should  be  extended  to  all 
the  provinces.  He  wished  it  to  form  the  basis  of  a  new  consti 
tution,  which  should  bring  liarmony  out  of  the  prevailing  chaus. 
But  Ui)i')er  Canada  jealously  protested  against  having  her  constitu- 
tion thus  cut  and  dried  for  her  by  the  New  lirunswick  Assembly; 
and  the  plan  was  thru.st  aside. 

82.  Affairs  in  Cape  Breton,  Prince  Edward  Island,  and  New- 
foundland, —  'I'he  iuj))uiation  of  the  little  province  of  Cape  Hreton, 
meanwhile,  was  growing  at  a  snail's  pace.  Till  it 
ceased  10  be  a  province,  it  never  ([uite  rose  to  tlie 
dignity  of  ])olitical  problems.  The  region  about  Sydney,  aiul 
the  French  district  of  Arichat,  Ion;.;  continued  to  hold  the  Inilk 
of  the  poi)ulation.  (lovernment  was  carried  on  by  a  governor 
and  council,  and  Sydney  was  in  great  part  peopled  by  otiticials. 
Thirt  was  no  clamour,  as  in  the  otiier  j)rovinces,  for  free 
representative  institutions.  Far  from  it.  Jiut  the  numerous 
nfi^ii.:;  »ls,  having  much  leisure  to  dispose  of,  managed  to  get  up 
among  themselves  almost  as  much  disturbance  as  the  other 
provinces  could  boast.  Attention  was  very  eirly  ditected  to 
the  rich  coal  mines  of  tlie  province,  which  soon,  in  the  torni 
of  "  royalti^'S,"  began  to  yield  a  revenue  to  the  governmcni. 
The  "  royalty"  was  a  certain  fixed  tax  on  every  ton  or  chnMroii 
taken  from  the  inines.  liut  a  novel  kind  of  thievery  flourished. 
Where  the  seams  of  jetty  mineral  broke  out  on  the  seaward  cliffs, 
sliips  were  wont  to  come  in  and  without  fee  or  license  do  their 
own  coal-mining. 


Cape  Breton. 


..  >  I 


CAPE  BRETON  A. WD  PK/NCE  EDiy.tKP   rSLAM\     287 

In  1807  the  whole  papulation  of  C.ipe  Hrc-toii  was  littl<"  imcic  than 

Iht'  thousand  souls.     'rh(f  revi-nue  was  swallovved  u[)  m  payiii;^'  the 

salaries  of  too-abundant  officials      The  War  of  1812  produc  I'd  hut 

a  mild  ripiile  in   the  isl.uul.     When  its  echoes  had 

,  \.      ,  ,  ,  ,  .  Cape  Mreton 

ceasei',  a  dim<  iilty  anise  over  the  coal-royallies.     (  cr-   reumtea  to 

.     .  .1  1  1.1,        Nf.va  Sc.aia. 

taui  lessees  relused  to  pay  them,  on  the  grouml  that,  by 

Its  original  constitution,  no  duties  cmild  be  levied  in  the  jjrovince. 
I'liis  plea  was  u|)held  in  the  i,ourts  of  law  ;  and  all  proces>es  of 
Rovirnnient  were  brought  to  a  standstill.  'I  here  w.ls  nothing  to 
^\o  hut  call  an  assembly,  or  reannex  the  island  to  Nova  Scotia, 
lleneral  Ainslie,  who  had  been  governor  sim  c  1.S16,  resigned  h« 
post  in  iiS20.  In  departing  he  spoke  very  biiterly  of  the  peopln:. 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  ever  since  the  toundation  of  tlie  pru\ 
incL-  it  had  been  a  hot-bed  of  rancour,  the  home  government 
(le(  ided  not  to  call  an  assembly.  In  the  teeth  of  indign:uit 
protests  from  the  people,  Cape  Breton  in  I1S20  was  rciuiiled 
to  Nova  Scotia ;  and  two  re[)resentatives,  R.  J.  Uniacke  and 
Lawrence  Kavanagh,  were  elected  to  the  Nova  Sioiian  As- 
sembly. But  though  the  union  was  an  accomplished  fact,  the 
peo[)le  strove  against  it.  In  1823  a  second  petition  was  ad- 
dressed to  I.ouilon,  praying  for  repeal  of  the  tmion.  This  was 
peremptorily  refused.  Twenty  years  later  the  agitation  was 
revived  at  Sydney,  and  resulted  in  a  new  petition  to  the  hon)e 
government.  It  was  answeretl  by  Mr.  Gladstone,  then  under- 
secretary of  state,  with  a  very  decided  refusal,  which  put  an  end 
to  the  question  (1846). 

In  the  "  (larden  of  the  Gulf,"  after  its  change  of  name  from 
St.  John's  to  Prince  Edward  Island,  no  great  political  events  took 
place.  The  immigration  of  Lord  Selkirk's  High-  Prince  Ed- 
landers,  in  1803,  has  been  already  mentioned.  Amid  ward  island. 
their  fertile  farms,  their  genial  climate,  the  people  prospered 
quietly ;  and  the  isolating  waters  kept  them  apart  from  the  stir 
and  tumult  of  the  War  of  18 12.  Nor  did  the  strife  of  parties 
greatly  vex  the  peaceful  island.  The  great  constitutional  ques- 
tions between  Assembly  and  Executive  were  fought  out  slowly 


288 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


\\\ 


I  I 


'I 


and  somewhat  mildly  in  the  legislative  halls  of  Charlottetown. 
One  of  the  governors,  Charles  Douglas  Smith,  when  in  difficulties 
with  the  Assembly,  took  the  simple  plan  of  not  calling  that  body 
together,  and  so  pursued  in  peace  his  arbitrary  course.  But  suc- 
ceechng  governors  were  le-s  autocratic  ;  and  when  the  violent 
courses  of  Papineau  and  Mackenzie  culminated  in  rebellion,  the 
militia  of  Prince  Kdward  Island  promptly  volunteered  for  service 
in  io|>ressing  it. 

In  icS2  2  a  harsh  and  sudden  attempt  of  Governor  Smith  to 
collect  the  old  arrears  of  the  quit-rents  caused  much  suffering  and 
The  land  wide-spread  indignation.  The  one  evil,  indeed,  which 
question.  -^^^  ^■^^^  ^^^^  ^^  j.|^^  islanders  obscured  all  others,  was 

the  crying  one  of  absentee  ])ro]jrietorship.  Hiis  arose  from  the 
light  way  in  which  the  lands  of  the  island  had  been  granted  when 
it  came  into  English  hands.  Most  of  the  inhabitants  held  their 
farms  as  tenants  of  landlords  who  dwelt  in  England  and  knew 
nothing  of  circumstances  in  a  young  colony.  After  putting  the 
best  of  their  lives  on  impioving  a  |)iece  of  wild  land,  these 
tenants  were  liable  to  be  turned  out  for  inability  to  pay  arrears 
of  rent.  I\Iany  a  man  thus  found  his  life's  work  wasted.  The 
question  was  one  that  touched  the  people  ceaselessly  and 
deeply.  But  it  was  not  to  be  settled  till  after  three-quarters 
of  a  century  of  wrangling ;  and  its  full  discussion  belongs  to  a 
later  chapter. 

To    Newfoundland   the  wars  which    opened   the   century  and 

shook  the  thrones  of   Europe   proved    an   unparalleled  blessing. 

Her  European  rivals  in  the  cod-fisheries  were  swept 

Great  prog-  '  ' 

ress  in  New-     from  off  her  seas  by  the  fleets  of  England,  and  for  a 

foundland.  ,      ,        ^  i  r 

time  she  ruled  the  nsh-markets  of  the  world.  'I'he 
progress  of  the  island  advanced  by  mighty  strides.  Population 
flowed  in,  in  spite  of  the  old  restrictions  on  settlement.  In  tlu- 
years  when  the  loyalists  were  flocking  into  Canada  (17S3-1785), 
the  population  of  Nt'wfoiuidland  was  about  ten  thousand.  In  the 
year  1.800  the  Royal  Newfoundland  regiment,  stationed  at  St. 
John's,  conspired  to  mutiny,  plunder  the  town,  and  escape  to  the 


^ii'yroaXDLAf/D. 


L'liilecl  Stales,     The  nin,  ,.       .-  ^"^ 

a^otbtT  Station.     In  ,he  yetr  2X  '"«'""="'  «»  »tnt  'o 

»f  "ce  (,8,4,  ca,«e  .ev      ,h  t:,  dT  "'  *"^  <>'  "^  "-  '■" 
<;>lo"y,  whose  population  no>„S'l  he"''""'^  '°  *^  '^"™H 
-  seventy  thousand.    These  set   „  It  '"?""P«'^'We  %,„e 
<'"  'l»--|>.;n,nsuiaofAvalo„   abon     h  '^^  '""'  ">'«'  'hi'-klv 

•:«  deeply  indented  coas   t      t  eV!-," "r""'™"  ^'''''^  -^ 
•■•II  the  inhabitants  were  seafa  er     d    ^  ""  **'•  -f"''"''-     Hut 

;;"  »P-)'  and  rich  ^...^'C^' f^  "^^'  '"  <!- 
y  ^e>v  Brunswick  devoted  herself  in  ,  7  "'°"'  "<=l"»ively 
devoted  herself  to  fish.  Fanning  wafa°:"'r  ^''^f"'«l,nnd 
»'>■■"  the  wars  had  ceased  in   'Z  ""'"'°"'"-     '"  ■8t6 

•"■">'1l="'d  could  not  lonl  "„„„  T  ""''  •'"""»•  -"'1  New-' 
l-ity  of  the  island  all    fonrc^n:  ",""  '"'"'''■  "^  P™- 
ll-".  and  in  the  year  foUowin;! '^f '  ™'  ""'*"  "■""■^"■ 
o«t  ,n  three  great  conflagra.rns         1  '',  ""  ''"'  ""  1««  -'iped 
"f  --ry.     Hut  soon  thf  pr ie"  ;f  h  h  "  '""''  '"^='"-  ^  «'- 
'■■''"^  •-'g.iin.  '^         ""^  '"''  "■'^"t  "P.  and  prosperity 

I'he  merchants  of  St  Tohn'.        ,  ■ 
^^'-'•ies.  and  desirous  of  i^pi^^^f^^  ^^^s  out  of  the 
;j^Pendence,  diligently  reported   tha     I      '"^^'^  '"   ^  ^^^'^  -^ 
'^'■"1  '^"^1«  in  tiu  province      TJ         ^'^  '''"^'^  "« 

I  rownce.     Neither  climate  nor  .oil    iV^^P'-ese.it- 

^^'i-  husbandry      n,..  •  ^'''   h,*""^^  ^^sem- 

aucinary.      IJyt  ,„  Wy  granted 

^--omng,  though  all  ^.I.!.,7...'^"^   M-^--<^ 


-'t  Ibr 


''n-y  saif^,  'va 

Popu!:iL<oa  w.nt  on  VrZin  "T"     ^""^  '"  ''''^^  ^^  them 

f »  .  ovulation  wTs  ^Z^i.^X'^lf"'  '"^ '"  """"""^ 

■'"'  '»e  ^sl,,d  receive  the  fi  s   ™d,r  °  "'  '°""  '"'"  '""  «"  '^^ 

'"«it,  n,  the  fonn  of  a  -JonuhrT      v,      '  '^"'''^^"'tative  govern- 

'«-'^.-s  begun  in  .si  ;trcc%  if"  "«''="™  ^'^  •"  » 

)«3  by  the  .merchants  of  S-  Toh  "s    ?    "''  °"^"^"'  '"'  <=kven 

■'"ly  to  prevent  increase  of  poi-.  .K-  ,'  '"^T"  ^"''  °^>'"  ™»  ""■ 

»   the  inhabitants  already  o  c„'  J  i^  , :"'  °  P"^"^  the  removal 

■«lerat,on  was  their  pocke'.     /,',  r     ,      *'"'^-     '""■'>  one  ,„„- 

'  ■  Itome  gover„„,e„t  to  th   '.et .    :  '°"f  '^^'  ""^  ^"'=  '«  "lind 
*=  colony  did  a,  ,e„g,„  ,:  j ^  ^  ^-^  of  their  policy.     „,,„„ 

'^e  at  the  d,gn,ty  of  a  Legislature, 


290 


.4    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Strife  between  Executive  and  Assembly  soon  began.  But  it  had 
not  the  clear  and  consistent  form  which  it  took  in  the  Caiiadas, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick.  Nor  were  the  people  of  New- 
foundland destined  to  win  a  full  measure  of  Responsible  Guv- 
ernment  till  long  after  this  goal  had  been  reu  hed  by  tiie  sister 
provinces. 


I 
I 


I  t 


CHAPTER    XX. 


SECTIONS:  —  83,  the  Rebellion  in  Lower  Canada.  84,  the 
Rebellion  in  Upper  Canada.  85,  Loud  Durham  and  his 
Report.  86,  the  Canadas  united.  87,  Responsible  Gov- 
ernment GAINED  IN  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia. 

83.    The  Rebellion  in  Lower  Canada.  —  And  now  we  turn  back 

to  Lower  Canada,  which  we  left  a  caldron  of  popular  discontent. 

The  Royal  Commission  of  Inquiry,  which  had  been 

appointefl  to  mvestmate  the  troubles,  made  its  report  seirsfirm 

action. 
to  the  British  Parliament  in  February  of  1837.     The 

report  showed  that  the  Reformers  of  Lower  Canada  had  put 
themselves  in  a  position  which  the  most  liberal  of  their  friends 
were  bound  to  condemn.  Lord  John  Russell  brought  in  a  bill 
which  dealt  firmly  with  the  whole  matter.  As  the  Assembly  had 
for  five  years  refused  to  vote  supplies,  leaving  the  judges  and 
other  officials  in  distress,  Lord  Russell's  bill  authorized  the  gov- 
ernor-general to  take  ;,^i42,ooo  out  of  the  provincial  treasury 
and  pay  all  the  arrears  of  the  Civil  List.  He  was  warned  that 
this  step  would  cause  rebellion.  He  answered  that  justice  should 
be  done  at  whatever  cost.  The  people  had  got  all  they  asked  for, 
except  an  elective  Upper  House  and  a  responsible  Executive. 
I'hese  were  refused  to  every  other  colony  as  well.  The  refusal 
could  hardly  be  held  to  justify  rebellion. 

l')y  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  however,  Lord  Russell's  bill 
made  the  cup  of  wrath  run  over.  Wild  meetings  were  held,  and 
treason  walked  openly.  Papineau  moved  in  a  blaze  of  enthusi- 
asm.    Second  only  to  him  in  seditious  eminence  was  a  man  of 

291 


f^-i  aha.  '^1 


292 


--f    I/f STORY  OF  (tXAP.-l. 


v.\ 


I  i- 


perhaps  equal   ability  but   less  magnetism,  a  cultured   physician 

of  English  birth,   noctor  VVolfrecl  Nelson,  already  referred  to  as 

Papineau's  ally  in  the  Assembly.  Nelson  exerted  a  wide 
Papineau  and         '  ,,,,•,  ,   ,      ,  •       , 

Nelson  move     mtluenre,  both  by  his  character  and  by  his  eloquence. 

rapidly  ,,.  -ii  1  ■  ■     \  nr 

toward  open     He  imagined  that  the  strile  bet^veen  Reformers  and 
rebellion.  ,      ,    ,  .     r 

government  was  a  duel  between  tyranny  ami  free- 
dom ;  and  he  threw  all  his  weight  into  the  scale  for  I'apine.ui. 
In  the  early  summer  Lord  Gosford  warned  the  peojile  of  thf 
oeril  of  their  course,  and  Ibrbade  the  holding  of  seditious  nioet- 
Kigi  li's  proilamaiion,  i)oste<l  in  places  of  public  resort,  was 
1.^1-!.  ,;own  witli  yells  of  derision  and  shouts  of  "  Long  live  ra[>:- 
neat.  r  1  )eliverer  I  "  'J'he  people  organized  themselves  into  soci- 
eties called  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty."  Vo  cut  off  the  revenues,  uiey 
vowed  to  use  no  articles  that  p.iid  duty.  When  the  .Assembly  iri'-t 
in  .-\ugust,  the  members  were  for  the  most  part  clad  in  homespi'u 
garments  of  tlK  rudest  fasiiion.  The  demands  of  this  Assembly 
were  for  nothing  les,^  than  the  withdrawal  of  all  imperial  author- 
ity from  the  affurs  of  Lower  Canada.  The  governor-general 
prom]:)tly  dissolved  the  } louse. 

Papineau  now  threw  all  wisdom  to  the  winds,  and  made  frantic 
appeal  to  the  judgment  of  the  sword.     His  will  was  law  with  cer- 
tain young  and  excitable  sections  of  the  people.     I'aithful  in  her 
citizenship,  the  Church    strove    to   stem    the  tide  of 

The  Church        ^  ,,         ,  .  ,  ,         ^     ,        ,  ,         , 

strives  to         folly;  but  vaiu  were    the    appeals   of  the  best-loved 

check  Papi-  ■  •        ,         1  ,  , 

neau'smad-      onests,  vain  the  threats,  commands,  and  excommiini- 

I16SS 

cations  of  the  loyal  bishops.  The  British  minoritv 
organized  to  defend  the  law  and  constitution.  All  the  British 
troops  in  the  pro\mce  were  gathered  at  Montreal,  and  the  loyal 
(dengarry  militia  mustered  to  their  aid.  From  LIppcr  Canada, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  there,  too,  was  rebellion  gathering  head, 
came  all  the  regulars  of  the  province.  The  governor  had  taken 
the  bol  1  siej)  of  sending  away  his  English  troops,  in  order  In 
show  his  confidence  in  the  Upper  Canailian  militia.  The  militia, 
said  he,  were  able  and  ready  to  defend  their  province  against  all 
rebels. 


11 


i, 
I  til 


REBEl.l.lUX  IX   LOWER    CAXADA. 


^93 


In  October  the  Rrilish  settlers  of  the  rebelhotis  districts,  aban- 
doning their  farms  and  harvestetl  crop  to  the  rebels,  fled  into 
Montreal,  The  centre  of  disaffection  was  the  country  along  the 
Richelieu.  At  St.  CMiarlos,  on  that  stream,  the  habi-  ThereheUion 
tans  massed  in  force,  and  a  Liberty  Column  was  ''^^^J'sout. 
raised  in  Papineau's  honour.  Around  this  column  the  rebel  forces 
were  enrolled,  and  arms  and  ammunition  were  distributed.  Near 
bv  stood  an  old  seigneurial  mansion  of  stone,  which  was  presently 
occupied  and  fortified  by  a  strong  detachment  of  rebels  under 
one  Stowell  Brown,  an  .American,  who  took  to  himself  the  title  of 
"  General."  Not  far  off,  at  St.  Denis,  was  another  rebel  post  com- 
manded by  Wolfred  Nelson.  The  centre  of  Nelson's  position  was 
a  large  stone  distillery,  well  barricaded  and  fitted  for  defence. 
The  first  collision,  a  mere  scrimmage,  took  place  in  Montreal, 
eirly  in  November,  when  a  meeting  of  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty  "  was 
att.icked  and  broken  up  by  a  loyal  club  called  the  "  Doric." 

Soon  afterwards  two  e.xpeditions  were  sent  by  the  commander- 
in-chief,  Sir  John  Colborne,  to  seize  the  rebel  leaders  and  scatter 
the   insurgents   at   St,  Denis   and    St,  Charles.     The    movement 

airainst  St.  Denis  was  led  bv  Colonel  Gore,  with  one 
"'  The  murder 

field-pii^ce  and  five  hundretl  nien.     Colonel  Wetherall,  of  Lieutenant 

Weir. 
\\ith    a   stronger  force,    marched   upon   St.    Charles. 

Before  any  geueral  engagement  tr       place,  a  small  body  of  loyal 

cavalry  coming  up  from  St.  John's,    n  the  Richelieu,  was  attacked 

by  the  rebels.     Then  took  place  an  act  of  barbarism  which  roused 

ihe   fury  of  the   tnjops.     An  intrepi'i   young  ©fticer,   Lieutenant 

Weir,  carrying  despatches   from  Colonel  Gore,  was  captured  by 

tlic  rebels.     He  made  a  dash  for  liberty,  but  was  shot  d<nvn  by 

his  captors  and  hacked  to  pieces  with  their  swords.     This  atrocity 

was  sharply  condemned  by  Nelson  ;  but  from  the  unhappy  iieu- 

teiKuit's  despatches  the  rel)el  leader  learned  of  Gore's  advance, 

and  made  ready  to  receive  him. 

On  the  23rd  of  November  Colonel  Gore  attacked  St.  Denis. 

He  marched  sixteen  miles  through  the  darkness  of  a  stormy  night, 

over  roads  deep  with  mire,  and  at  ten  o'clock  o[^ened  his  assault. 


■^F 


«i! 


(;, 


I! 


il 


I } 


i  ■  i   .  ■' 
I    I     ' 


294 


//   II/STOKY   OF  CAXADA. 


Ikit  Nelson's  position  proved  too  strong  for  the  force  at  Core's 
command.  The  one  gun  of  the  besii-gers  made  no  impression 
DefeatofGore  ^^  ^'""^  Stone  walls  of  tlie  distillery,  and  the  liahitans, 
at  St.  Denis.  t]-,Q^]gii  ^  mere  handful  in  numbers,  kept  up  a  deadly 
fire.  The  attack  was  maintained  for  some  hours  ;  and  then,  carry- 
ing his  dead  and  wounded  with  him,  but  leaving  his  one  gun  iguo- 
miniously  stuck  in  the  nnul,  (lore  led  off  his  men.  At  this  success 
the  rebels  were  highly  elated. 

Two  days  later,  however,  their  elation  was  quenched.  Colonel 
Wetherall's  march  had  been  delayed  by  the  miry  roads  and  by 
broken  bridges.     On  the  25th  he  brought  his  gu.ns  to  bear  on  the 

^  ...  „,  rebel  position  at  St.  Charles.  The  rtasteboard  gen- 
Wetherall's  '  '  " 

victory  at  eral,  Brown,  was  no  such  leader  as  ^Volfred  Nelson. 
St,  Charles. 

He  fled    with  discreet  alacrity  at   the   first  rattle  of 

the  guns.  The  habitans,  thus  left  leaderless,  stood  their  ground 
bravely,  till  a  hot  charge  drove  them  from  their  breastworks  and 
scattered  them  in  blind  flight.  .At  a  very  early  stage  in  the  out- 
break Papineau,  more  warlike  with  his  tongue  tlian  with  his  sword, 
had  yielded  to  the  advice  of  his  disi^iples  and  prudently  ])ku:ed 
himself  on  the  safe  side  of  the  American  border.  Thither  the 
other  leaders  now  made  haste  to  follow  him.  k\.  news  '>f  tlie 
defeat  Nelson's  force  at  St.  Denis  ir.elted  like  a  flurry  of  .\nril 
snow;  and  its  disappointed  leader,  forced  to  follow  the  steps  nf 
his  less  valiant  fellows  in  folly,  was  captured  as  he  fled. 

Troops  were  now  arriving  from  New  Brunswick,  but  there  was 
small  need  of  them.  The  back  of  the  revolt  was  broken  by  the 
Thechapeiat  victory  at  St.  Charles,  Only  in  the  Two  Mountains 
St.  Eustache.  ([i^trict,  north  of  Montreal,  did  disaffection  still  lifr  an 
armed  fri^nt.  Thither  marched  Sir  John  Colborne  with  a  strong 
force  of  regulars  and  militia.  The  rebels  were  gathered  at  tlie 
villages  of  St.  Eustache  and  St.  Benoit.  From  the  former  position 
mi)st  of  its  defenders  fled  on  Colborne's  approach,  but  a  resolute 
few  under  one  Doctor  C'henier  threw  themselves  into  the  su-ne 
church  of  the  parish  and  matle  a  mad  but  magnificent  resistance. 
Not  till  the  roof  was  blazing,  the  walls  falling  in,  and  most  ul  their 


ATTITUDE    OF  FRENCH  CANADIANS. 


?95 


comrades  slain,  did  these  deluded  heroes  seek  escape.     Nearly 

every  man  of  them  sought   it   in   vain.     From   the   embers   of 

St.  Eustache  Colborne  led  his  force  to  St.  Benoit.     \:\\t  leaders 

of  the  rebels  fled  before  him,  and  the  ill-armed  mob,  suddenly 

seeing  its  folly,  begged  and  obtained  peace.     That  night,  however, 

a  part  of  the  village  was  burned  down  by  angry  British  settlers, 

seeking  to  avenge  the  destruction  of  their  own  homes  and  harvests. 

When  the  new  year  opened  the  rebellion  in  Lower  Canada  was 

practically  at  an  end,  though  the  year  1838  was  to  see  some  border 

troubles,  the  work  largely  of  filibustering  Americans. 

.  .  .  The  attitude 

One's  first  feelmg  is  apt  to  be  surprise  that  the  rebel-   of  the  French 

Canadians 
lion  in  Lower  Canada,  after  all  the  windy  threats  of  its  toward  the 

ringleaders,  should  turn  out  so  small  an  affair.  But 
the  reason  is  easy  to  find.  It  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  real  weight 
of  French  Canada  was  not  behind  the  rebellion.  The  rising  was, 
indeed,  no  more  the  work  of  the  Lower  Canadians,  as  a  whole, 
than  the  revolt  going  on  at  the  same  tin^  in  the  sister  province 
was  the  work  of  the  Upper  Canadians  as  a  whole.  In  Upper 
Canada,  when  the  extreme  Reformers  drifted  toward  rebellion, 
the  wiser  and  more  moderate  of  their  party  turned  against  them. 
It  was  the  same  in  Lower  Canada.  These  men  saw  that  constitu- 
tional agitation  was  one  thing,  rebellion  quite  another.  In  the 
natural  determination  to  preserve  their  language  and  national 
character,  this  spirited  people,  with  a  noble  history  to  look  back 
upon,  stood  together  as  one  man.  But  when  the  question  of 
fidelity  to  their  allegiance  came  up,  the  face  of  affairs  changed. 
Papineau  and  his  fellows  thought  that  they  carried  French  Canada 
ill  their  hands.  But  the  event  taught  them  otherwise.  The  F^rench 
Canailian  ("hurch,  as  we  have  seen,  threw  all  its  weight  into  the 
opposite  scale.  The  old  seigneurial  families,  also,  stood  l>y  the 
constitution.  The  farming  communities  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  province  turned  a  cold,  if  not  actively  hostile,  shoulder  toward 
the  rebels.  They  thought  themselves  toleral)ly  gcjverned.  They 
wanted  no  civil  war.  Significant  is  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
French  Canadian  militia  were  actively  loyal,  and  tendered  their  ser- 


2q6 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


M' 


f     ! 


1  * 


hi 


vices  to  the  government  for  the  curbing  of  their  misguided  couii 

tryuien.     ("olonel  dc  Hertcl,  commanding  fifteen  hundred  niiliii ; 

in  one  of  the  most  rebelHous  districts,  reported  to  the  commaniiei 

in-chief  that  his  troo])s  were  stanch  in  liieir  allegiance  and  re.nlv 

for  any  service.     With  the  first  collision  on  the  Richelieu  Lyal 

adilresses  came  pouring  in  from  nearly  all  the   French  counties. 

It  is  a  crying  injustice  to  a  gallant  and  honourable  people  to  sav, 

as  is  so  often  said,  that  the  Papineau  outbreak  was  a  rebelliuu 

of  the  French  Canadians.     It  was  the  rebellion  of  a  few  ainbiii(;u.^ 

hot-heads  among  the  French  Canadians.     By  the  majority  of  their 

fellow-countrymen  it  was  repudiated  with  anger  and  alarm. 

But  the  vvJKjle  province  had  to  suffer  for  the  fault  of  the  lew. 

Along  the  frontier,  where  gathered  the  fugitive  rebels,  there  were 

threats  of  armed  American  supiiort.     Lord  Co,-,foii] 
Arrival  and  '  ' 

departure  of     was  recalled,  and  Sir  John  Colborne  was  made  military 

Lor '.Durham.  .       .  -  ^ 

governor.       Ihe  constitution  of  1791  was  suspcu'lc! 

(1838).     Lower  Canada  found  herself  once  more   beneatli   an 

absolute  government.    But  this  was  not  intended  to  last.     In  Mn 

arrived  Lord  Durham,  as  governor-general  and  also  as  sik-i  i,il 

commissioner,  with  power  to  settle  disputes  and  to  arrange  for  the 

effective  working  of  representative  government  in  the  Canadas. 

His  work,  which  was  of  deep  and  lasting  importance,  will  l)e 

explained   in   a  later  section.     Suffice   to  say  here   that   in   the 

autumn  he  threw  r.p  his  task  in  anger  and  returned  to  En.uinirl. 

On   his    departure    the   smouldering   embers   of  revolt  l(M|it'ii 

again  into  fitful  bla/.e.     In  the  American  towns  along  the  bonier 

secret  societies  had  been  formed,  called   "  Hunters' 
Final  out-  ,      ,         ,-      1  1.  1 

break  of  the      [>0'lges,    wliose  members  were  sworn  to  the  support 

rebellion  in  ,,,,..,  ,  ,  ,  ,.  , 

Lower  of  (  anadian  mdependence,  and  to  the  spreading  of 

Canada.  ...  ...  n      1         .  • 

republican  institutions  over  all  the   .American  conii- 

ne;\t.  These  "  Hunters'  Lodges"  now  grew  threateningly  active; 
and  tlie  American  authorities  seemed  obstinately  blind  to  their 
schemes.  In  October  the  rash  hahit.ins  of  the  rebellious  town- 
ships again  prowled  in  armed  mobs,  and  the  English  settlers  once 
more  fled  into  the  city  for  safety.     In  Beauharnois  County  the 


REBELLION  IN  LOWER    CANADA. 


297 


rebels  were  especially  daring.     It  was  Sunday,  November  5th,  when 
a  body  of  thein  drew  near  Caughnawaga,  a  village  of  loyalist  Iro- 
(luois.     The  Indians  rushed  out   of  church,   seized   their   arms, 
routed  the  bragging  rebels,  and  took  a  number  of  prisoners.     At 
N';i[)ierville  was  the  headquarters  of  the  rising      There   Robert 
Nelson,  a  brother  of  Doctor  Wolfred,  proclaimed  the  republic  of 
Canada.     On  the  approach  of  a  loyal  force  Nelson  retired  with 
liis  mob  toward  the  border,  seeking  to  unite  with  a  band  of  Amer- 
ican allies.     On  the  march  a  party  of  the  rebels  encountered  a 
])arty  of  militia,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  took  place   in  which  the 
rebels  were  beaten.     The  main  body  of  Nelson's  force  then  came 
up,  whereupon   the  militia  threw  themselves  into  the  church  at 
Odelltown,  and  defended   themselves  with  such  vigour  that  the 
insurgents  drew  off  across  the  line.     The  militia  were   now  hot 
with  the  vindictiveness  which  civil  war  is  quick  to  breed,  and  the 
rebellion  was  stamped  out  with  small  gentleness  in  Beauharnois 
("ounty.     Villages  were  burned.     The  gaols  were  filled  with  rebels 
and  suspect''.      This  was  the  last  flicker  of  the  flame  in  Lower 
Canada.     Further  west,  however,  the  aid  of  the  American  filibus- 
terers  was  yet  to  make  sore  trouble,  the  rebels  were  yet  to  be  chas- 
tised.   The  rebellious  districts  being  under  martial  law,  a  number 
of  the  prisoners  were  tried  at  once,  and  thirteen,  convicted  of 
treason,  were  put  to  death,  while  others  were  banished  to  penal 
selUements.     Some  of  those  executed  had  been  pardoned  for  tak- 
ing part  in  the  rebellion  of  the  year  before,  and  well  deserved  their 
piuiishment.     In  other  cases,  however,  it  was  but  the  deluded 
tools  of  the  conspirators  who  suffered,  while  the  leaders,  escaping 
in  time,  lived  to  win  pardon,  and  even  at  last  to  share  the  rewards 
oi  office  in  the  land  which  their  madness  had  convulsed. 

84.   The  Rebellion  in  Upper  Canada.  —  During  the  early  months 
of  1837  events  in  Upper  Canada  were  keeping  pace  with  those  in 

the  sister  province.     As  in  the  sister  province,  those 

'  '  Mackenzie 

who  contemplated  violence  were  the  very  small  but  proclaims 

.  rebellion. 

Between  the  two  provinces,  however. 


n  )i?,y  minority. 

there  was  this  difference. 


The  majority  in  Upper  Canada  were 


i 


■V  m*.  Mm 


298 


//    msiORY   OF  CANADA. 


\ 


'  \ 


w 


actively  loyal;  the  majority  in  I-ower  Canada  were  sullenly  in- 
different. 

Early  in  August  Mackenzie  gave  rein  to  his  folly.  He  and  lus 
disciples  issued  what  they  presumptuously  called  a  *'  Declaration 
of  the  Reformers.'*  a  blatant  document  which  the  real  bone  arnl 
brain  of  the  Kei'orm  party  made  scorn  of.  Men  like  Ryersf-n, 
Baldwin,  I]id\vell,  fiercely  condemned  it.  This  dociuncnt  set  forth 
the  grievances  of  the  malcontents,  renounced  imperial  allegiance, 
and  declared  for  the  rebel  cause  in  I^ower  Canada.  A  "  VigiJam  e 
Committee"  was  established  to  spread  the  principles  of  the  Dec- 
laration, and  Mackenzie  travelled  about  the  province  with  sedition 
and  rhdusion  on  his  tongue,  seeking  to  inflame  the  people.  In 
some  districts  he  found  sympathy  ;  in  others  he  was  rudely  silenced 
by  the  loyalist  farmers.  The  government  let  him  go  to  the  full 
length  of  his  teiher.  By  this  masterly  inactivity  Sir  I'rancis 
Head,  the  governor,  displayed  more  wisdom  than  he  had  shown 
in  an  earlier  stage  of  the  excitement.  He  thought  it  belter  that 
Mackenzie's  followers  should  declare  themselves  unmistakably 
before  force  should  be  used  for  their  correction.  It  was  a  shrewd 
and  wholesome  policy,  too,  which  sent  the  regulars  away  to  Lower 
Canada  at  such  a  moment.  It  threw  the  whole  defence  upon  the 
))rovincial  militia  and  cleared  the  imperial  troops  of  respon.sibiKiy 
for  any  blood  that  might  be  shed. 

The  centre  of  conspiracy  was  in  Toronto.     The  subtle  Rolph, 

whose  name  appeared  on  no  rebel  manifestoes,  and  whose  loyalty 

was  relied  upon  by  the  governor,  was  nevertheless  deep 

Provisional  in  the  confidence  of  Mackenzie,  and  destined  by  the 
Government  .  ' 

on  Navy  rebels  to  preside  over  the  new  government.     Stvlin" 

Island.  '  .  °  ^ 

themselves  "Patriots,"  like  their  fellow-rioters  in  l>ower 

Canada,  the  rebels  established  what  they  called  a  '*  Provisi>MKil 
Government  "  on  Navy  Island,  in  the  middle  of  the  Niagara  Ri\er. 
The  flag  of  the  proposed  republic  carried  two  stars,  one  for  each 
of  the  Canadas.  To  us  at  this  day  the  action  of  the  rebels  seems 
much  like  that  of  schoolboys  playing  war.  On  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber, when  the  insurgent  habitans  were  being  routed  at  St.  Charles, 


If 


MCKvrao.ir/'/:  vs  ta  vekn. 


299 


William  Lyon  Mackenzie  was  issuing  a  prot  laniation  railing  on 
the  Canadians  to  rise  as  one  man.  This  screrd  was  issued  l)y  hin) 
us  "  Chairman //•(»  ton  of  thi-  I'rovisional  (lovcrnmcni  of  the  State 
of  Upper  Canada." 

On  Yonge  Street,  a  few  miles  out  f)f  I'oronto,  stood  Montgom- 
ery's 'I'avern,  the  rendezvous  of  the  rebel  forces.  ToroMto  was 
unguarded.  On  I)e<einber  4lh  came  news  that  the  Toronto 
rebels  were  marching  on  the  i  ily.  The  governor,  ^'"'«^^<-'"e<i. 
officials,  and  leading  citizens  threw  themselves  into  the  City  Hall, 
determined  to  defend  to  the  last  the  arms  and  ammunition  there 
in  store.  At  the  same  time  messengers  were  sent  flying  to  Hamil- 
ton, to  summon  Colonel  MacNab  with  his  fighting  militia  of  the 
(iore.  Mackenzie's  object  in  attacking  Toronto  was  to  capture 
the  military  stores  in  the  City  Hall,  for  the  etpupment  of  his  ill- 
armed  followers.  Hut  the  occasion  slipped  by  him.  Half-way 
to  the  city  the  rebels  turned  about  and  gave  up  the  enterprise. 
Their  numbers  went  on  steadily  increasing  at  Montgomery's  Tav- 
ern ;  but  meanwhile  MacNab  arrived  with  the  men  of  Gore,  and 
Toronto  was  saved. 

IMood  flowed  straightway.     The  mob  at  Montgomery's  Tavern 

was  being  drilled  vigorously  by  one  Van  Kgmond,  an  old  officer 

of  Napoleon's.     The  rebel  commander-in  chief  was 

Samuel  Lount,  a  blacksmith.    A  loyalist  cai)tain,  named   Montgom- 

ery'sTavi'rn. 
Powell,  taken  prisoner  by  Lount's  men,  escaped   by 

shooting  his  guard.  Then  Colonel  Moodie,  a  loyalist  offn  er,  en- 
deavouring with  scornful  bravado  to  ride  through  the  rebel  lines, 
was  shot  from  his  horse,  liut  not  long  was  the  revf)U  to  go  mi- 
bridled.  On  I)eceml)er  7th  the  governor  and  Colonel  MacNab, 
with  five  hundred  militia  behind  the;  ;,  !•  arched  out  to  the  attack. 
Nearly  a  thousand  men  held  the  lincb  at  Montgomery's  Tavern, 
hut  they  were  scarce  half  armed.  Some  carried  scythes,  some 
axes,  some  pitchforks.  Anxious  to  avoid  bloodshed,  the  governor 
called  upon  them  to  lay  down  their  arms  ;  but  Mackenzie's  sole 
rejjly  was  a  demand  for  the  redress  of  grievances.  The  militia, 
dressed  only  in  rough  homespuns,  but  no  less  dauntless  than  if 


300 


-'/    J/ISIONY   Ol    CANADA. 


\\\ 


■'i 


srailct  luifl  covered  thtir  ardour,  advaiu(;d  on  the  rebel  lines. 
\t  fust  (lie  exchange  of  \olleys  was  hot,  but  the  skirmish  w.is 
soon  over.  In  all  directions  scattered  the  rebels;  and  Mackeii/.ic 
fled  over  the  border.      Tlu'  victors  burnt  '  ;  unery's  Tavern, 

and  the  house  of  a  rebel  leader  in  the  ntignoourhooil  ;  but  the 
tc-w  prisoners  taken  were  pardoned  by  Sir  Krancis.  Kor  souk 
days  after  this  event  the  militia  of  the  count rv  ilistricts  kc])t 
(locking  into  the  city,  till  the  governor  had  more  troops  on  hand 
than  he  knew  what  to  do  with,  and  h  id  to  send  most  of  them 
lif)me. 

I  he  rebel  flag  still  flew  on  Navy  Island,  where  Mackenzie,  with 
a  handful  of  his  followers  and  some  American  allies,  kept  up  the 
( hildish  fiction  of  a  provisional  government.  'I'he  American 
border  cities  •  ere  eager  in  Mackenzie's  cause.  Not  till  the  fol- 
hnving  year  were  proclamations  issued  by  the  President  and  by 
the  giAcrnors  of  border  states,  warning  Ame  -an  citizens  against 
attacking  a  friendly  power;  and  these  wan  not  seldom  were 

loftily  disregarded. 

Mackenzie,  in  his  ridiculous  establishment  on  Navy  Island,  was 
generously  issuing  grants  of  land  to  all  who  would  take  up  arms 
Theiestruc-  '"  ^^  rel)el  cause.  lie  was  watched  by  MacNab's 
.st'eamer  militia,  OH  the  Canadian  shore  just  opposite  ;   and  the 

*■"'■""*"'•  rival  lines  kept  firing  across  the  current.  In  Macken- 
zie's hands  was  a  steamboat  called  the  Caroline,  used  for  carrying 
stores  to  the  reltel  camp.  On  the  night  of  the  27th  Colonel  Mac- 
Nab  sent  over  a  band  of  marines  and  volunteers,  in  row-boats,  to 
capture  the  vessel.  The  daring  venture  was  led  by  Lieutenant 
Drew,  of  the  Royal  Navy.  The  Caroline  wz'^  lyi'li?  under  the  gtuis 
of  Fort  Schlosser  ;  but  the  intrepid  assailants  cut  her  out,  bundled 
her  crew  ashore,  set  her  on  fire,  and  sent  her  ilaining  over  the 
l''alls.  The  Americans,  ignoring  their  own  breaches  of  the  laws 
of  neutrality,  cried  out  against  this  action,  because,  forsooth,  the 
Caroline  was  an  American  vessel.  The  Hriush  government 
therefore  apologized ;  but  Colonel  MacNab  was  rewarded  with 
knighthood. 


I7GI/J    AT  PKl.tl-:   ISLAXD. 


301 


Mackenzie  at  h.'ngth  took  tlown  his  two-starred  ^t  ;  il  Navy 
Isl.iml  was  (lesertctl.  Not  lonj;  afttjrwanls  he  was  airi',rctl  hy  tlie 
New  Vork  state  aiillioritics,  tried  at  Alliany  for  attack  piKhtat 
iiig  :i  Iriondly  nation,  and  sontenred  to  an  imprison  P«'eoi»uiui. 
iiK'iu  of  eightetn  months.  IJut  American  consj)iracies  agiinst 
("anada  went  on  none  the  less.  A  great  thrceR)ld  attiu  k  was 
jilanned.  from  the  cities  of  Ogd('nsl>urg.  IJnflalo,  ami  Detroit, 
lnit  in  the  over  ahtmdance  ui  wotild-hc  leaders  'ay  our  safety. 
The  leaders  qnarrelled,  for  all  could  not  comiii  iiid  at  once  ;  and 
the  central  invasion  fell  through.  On  the  east,  however,  a  party  of 
fifteen  hundred  rebels  and  lililmsters  crossed  to  [lickorv  Island,  on 
the  Canadian  side, — and  llu-n  crossed  back  again  (I'ebniaiy  22, 
i8,^K).  The  only  serious  operation  uf  the  raiilers  was  in  the  west. 
Four  hundred  of  thni,  under  one  Sutherland,  crossed  frt)ni  Michi- 
gan to  I'elee  Islau  1.  off  Aniherstburg,  where  they  encountered  a 
small  force  of  regulars.  The'  river  was  frozen,  and  amid  the 
blocks  of  ice  a  sharp  fight  took  place.  The  invaders  were  routed 
with  loss,  and  their  leader  captured.  While  in  prison  he  made  a 
formal  statement,  declaring  that  these  attempted  invasions  were 
encouraged  by  the  American  government,  in  the  hope  that  Canada 
n\ii;iit  l>e  gained  by  the  methods  which  had  brought  Texas  into 
t!ie  Union.  Hut  the  testimony  of  a  convicted  traitor  is  not  to  be 
considered  convincing. 

Sir   Francis   !>ond   Head   had  now  resigned  the  governorship, 

rather  than  obey  the  (.'olonial  Office  and  appoint  Reformers  to  the 

llxcoitive  Council.     Mis  place  was  filled  bv  the  harsh 

'  Vengeful 

and  inllexible  Sir  (ieorge  Arthur,  lately  governor  of  spuitofthe 

»  .     o  \Qya.\  party. 

\'a'     Diemen's    Land,  who   spurned    the    Reformers, 

and  ulentified  himself  heart  and  soul  with  the  Compact.  The 
spirit  of  revenge  ran  high  in  die  province,  the  jails  were  full  of 
prisoners,  and  there  was  much  [)ersecution  of  suspects.  The 
rebel  leaders,  Matthews  and  I.ount.  were  hanged  ;  and  more  exe- 
cutions would  have  followed  but  for  the  sharp  interference  of  the 
home  government.  The  effect  of  the  rebellion  was  to  discredit 
the  Reformers  for  a  time  ;  but  it  so  increased  the  arrogance  of  the 


,  I 


302 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\  «   f 

i   ;    i 

i    ii 


'■i ;, 


Compact  that  their  rule  became  more  and  more  intolerable.  The 
most  loyal  began  to  deuiand  the  overthrow  of  such  a  tyranny. 
And  Reformers  were  mucli  strengthened  in  their  purpose  by  the 
recommendations  of  L,ord  Durham. 

/s  we  have  seen,  the  departure  of  Lord  Durham,  in  the  fall  of 

i8t8,  was  followed  by  fresh  outbreaks  in  Lower  Canada. 
The  invasion  ^ 

of  Van  In  Upper  Canada  it  was  followed  by  new  attacks  on  the 

Schultz.  '  *  ' 

irontier.    The  iniquitous  ''  Hunters'  Lodges"  collected 

a  force  at  Ogdensburg,  and  the  citizens  turned  out  joyously  to 
watch  the  attack  on  Canada.  On  November  nth  a  body  of  refu- 
gees and  .American  adventurers,  to  the  number  of  about  two  hun 
dred,  sallied  across  to  Prescott  and  entrenched  themselves  on  a 
hill.  They  were  led  by  a  brave  but  misguiiled  Polish  exile,  named 
Van  Schu'itz,  who  fmcied  that,  because  his  own  country  was  a 
victim  of  tyrants,  therefore  ('anada  must  be  in  a  like  unhappy 
case.  On  the  15U1  a  party  from  Kingston  attacked  the  invaders, 
and  drove  them  into  one  of  those  strong,  circular  stone  mills  of 
which  we  have  so  often  s!)oken.  There  they  defended  them- 
selves bravely,  while  sending  vain  appeals  across  the  river  for  a 
hel[)  which  the  applauding  crowds  were  much  too  prudent  to  give. 
At  this  juncture,  the  American  authorities  intervened  and  t(H)k 
possession  of  tlie  adventurers'  boats.  On  the  day  following  a 
force  of  regulars  anived,  with  artillery,  :ind  the  insane  undertaking 
of  Van  Schultz  fell  straight  to  ruin.  The  walls  of  the  mill  were 
battered  down,  and  the  remnants  of  the  invaders  were  made 
capitive.  Van  Schultz  and  eleven  of  his  fellows  were  tried,  con- 
demned, and  hung. 

In  spite  of  the  tardy  proclamation  of  President  Van  Buren,  for- 
bidding American  citizens  to  support  attacks  on  Canada,  the 
The  flght  at  people  of  Detroit  now  lent  aid  to  a  band  of  raiders 
Sandwich.  ^i^^^  planned  the  capture  of  A  mherstburg.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1S39,  about  four  hundred  and  lifty  of  the  rebels  crossed  over 
to  Windsor,  burned  a  vessel  and  some  houses,  captured  a  sm;ill 
guard  of  militia,  and  murdered  a  peaceful  citizen  who  refused  to 
join  their  cause.     Then  they  marched  into  Sandwich,  on  the  road 


w 


LORD   DURHAM'S    REPORT. 


303 


to  Amherstbuig.  Their  captives  somehow  managed  to  escape, 
which  so  enrnged  them  that  they  kiUed  the  next  man  they  met, 
a  surgeon  named  Htnne.  At  Sandwich  ihey  were  coiifionted 
by  (^)lonel  Prince  with  two  hundred  militia,  and  a  fierce  struggle 
ensued.  It  eiided  in  a  complete  victory  for  the  militia.  The 
iuvaders,  whit  were  left  of  them,  fled  back  to  Windsor,  and 
then  across  the  river  to  their  refuge.  The  militia,  f irioi-,  at  the 
murders  which  had  been  done,  shot  four  of  the  prisoners  nt  once;. 
This  was  answering  barbarism  with  barbarism,  and  fortunately 
went  no  further.  The  other  captives  were  in  due  time  brought 
to  trial.  Three  were  executed;  others  were  transported.  Many, 
made  prisoners  here  and  at  Prescott,  were  pardoned  on  ace  ount 
of  their  youth.  This  raid  against  Sandwich  was  the  last  splutter 
of  tlie  rebellion. 

85.  Lord  Durham,  and  his  Report.  —  dreat  as  was  the  misery 
which  it  h.ul  caused  in  Canada,  the  rebellion  was  not  without  its 
compensations.     It  aroused  the  best  minds  in   l''ng- 

,  ,      ,  ,       .  .       r  1  Lord  Durham. 

land,  and  the  colonies  came  m  for  a  close  attention 
which  led   to  the  correction  of  many  grave  abuses.      The  brief 
rule  of  Lord  Durham,  in  the  summer  months  of  1838,  marked 
the  end  of  the  old  order  in  Canada. 

Lord  Durham  was  an  •  minent  I'aiglish  statesman  of  the  Liberal 
school.  Sent  to  Canada  not  only  as  governor-general,  but  also 
as  high  commissioner,  he  was  armed  with  a  very  wiile  but  vague 
authority.  He  seems  to  have  been  somewhat  self-important,  fond 
of  imposing  ceremony,  and  over-sensitive  to  criticism  ;  but  lie 
was  a  keen  and  honest  observer,  a  firm  but  humane  administrator ; 
and  his  report  showed  a  breadth  of  view,  a  sagacity  and  insight, 
such  as  no  British  statesman  before  him  had  brought  to  bear  on 
colonial  questions.  He  arrivetl  at  Quebec  in  May.  Six  months 
later  he  resigned  in  a  huff  and  went  back  to  Rngland.  But  that 
briefest  of  administrations  was  long  enough  to  build  an  imperish- 
able monument  to  his  fame. 

While  studying  the  situation  in  all  the  provinces,  Lord  Dur- 
luun   found   himself  compelled    to  deal  with  a   number  of  po- 


ii 


304 


A    //I STORY   OF  CANADA. 


M 


J  i  r 


litical  prisoners.  Many  of  the  ringleaders  had  escaped  into  the 
States.      Most    of  the    prisoners   he   pardoned ;    but    from    this 

indulgence  he  left  out  eight  of  the  most   consiiicu- 
His  dealing  ' 

with  the  ous    offenders,    including    Wolfred    Nelson.      There 

rebels. 

was    now    no    trial    by    jury   in    the    province,    the 

constitution  having  been  suspended.  Lord  Durham  presumed 
upon  his  vague  authority,  took  upon  himself  the  office  of 
both  judge  and  jury,  and  banishr  ne  culprits  to  Bermuda,  on 
pain  of  being  executed  for  treasou  if  they  should  return.  This 
action  of  the  governor-general's  was  irregular,  and  his  enemies 
made  great  capital  out  of  it.  The  governor  of  Bermuda  com- 
plained that  there  was  no  authority  by  which  he  could  hold  the 
exiles.  The  British  government  disallowed  the  decree ;  and  in 
Parliament  Durham  was  criticised  so  harshly  that  he  threw  up 
his  office  in  anger.  But  before  leaving  he  proclaimed  that  as 
the  government  had  refused  to  uphold  him  in  his  punishment 
of  notorious  rebels,  he  now  extended  full  amnesty  to  all  wlio  had 
been  concerned  in  the  insurrection.  So  sweeping  an  indulgence, 
which  included  Papineau  himself,  was  regarded  as  an  encourage- 
ment to  treason ;  nevertheless  the  angry  governor  would  not 
withdraw  it. 

But  during  the  summer,  ere  the  storm  brewed  in  Bermuda  and 
London  had  had  vime  to  break  on  the  governor's  castle  in  Que- 
bec, Lord  Durham  got  done  the  work  that  he   hud 
Confedera-  ^ 

tionsug-  come  to  do.  He  despatched  responsible  niirents  to 
gestcd.  .'^  '  " 

each  province,  to  mcjuire  exactly  into  the  comlitions 

of  government  and  the  grievances  of  the  people.     He  also  invited 

the  governors  oi  Nova  Scotia,  New    Brunswick,   Newfoundland, 

atid  Prince  Edward  Islanii,  with  delegates  from  their  Legislatures, 

to  meet  and  ccr.Uer  with  him  at  (Quebec.     Tliis  conterence  vv;is  a 

mosi  memorable  event.     It  talked  over  a  plan  for  nothing  less 

than  the  Confederation  of  the  Provinces  of  British  North  .America. 

But  for  this  it  was  felt  that  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  ;  and  to  the 

idea  of  a  lesser  union  between  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  Lord 

Durham  turned  his  more  immediate  care. 


ii 


ACT  OF  UNION. 


305 


The  report  which  he  submitted  to  Parliament  is  one  of  the 
most  masterly  papers  ever  written  on  colonial  affairs.  Its  opin- 
ions and  suegestions  were  supported  by  a  wealth  of 

-.         ,  ,  ,      '  .   ^  Lor^  Dur- 

facts.     It  pointed  out  that  tiie  state  of  government  in   ham's 

all  the  provinces  was  one  of  ceaseless  strife  between 
the  executive  and  Te[)iesentative  bodies  ;  and  it  reminded  Parlia- 
ment that  since  1688  the  stability  of  Britain  had  depended  on  the 
responsibihty  of  the  government  to  the  I  legislature.  It  called 
attention  to  the  fltct  that  the  same  grievances  prevailed  in  all  the 
provinces  ;  and  it  fearlessly  decl  ired  that  "  while  the  present 
state  of  things  is  allowed  to  la.st,  the  actual  inhabitants  of  these 
provinces  have  no  security  for  person  or  property,  no  •enjoyment 
of  what  they  possess,  no  stimulus  to  industry."  This  was  a  crush- 
ing arraignment  of  the  colonial  system  as  it  stood.  As  a  cure  foi 
race  jealousies  in  Lower  Canada,  Lord  Durham  proposed  a  legis- 
lative union  of  the  Canadas,  which  would  cause  parties  to  divide 
on  new  lines  of  local  or  sectional  interest  rather  than  on  those  of 
race  and  language.  For  the  cure  of  the  deeper,  constitutional  ill 
that  was  gnawing  at  the  vitals  of  the  country,  he  urged  that  the 
Executive  siiould  be  made  responsible  to  the  .'\sseml)ly.  To 
draw  the  provinces  closer  together,  both  in  sentiment  and  in 
trade,  he  recommended  the  building  of  an  intercolonial  rail- 
way. And  to  secure  the  protection  of  local  interests,  he 
urgetl  that  municipal  institutions  should  be  established  without 
delay. 

86.  The  Canadas  united.  —  On  the  basis  of  Lord  Durham's 
report  a  bill  was  brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Russell ;  but 
before  its  passage  it  was  submitted  to  the  government  The  Act  of 
of  Upper  and  Lower  ("anada.  This  was  done  with  ^'^'°°- 
admirable  judgment  by  Mr.  Charles  Poulett  Thompson,  who  was 
now  sent  out  to  Canada  as  governor-general.  In  Lower  Canada 
the  scheme  of  imion  was  accepted  at  once.  It  had  to  go  before 
the  Council  only,  for,  the  constitution  of  1791  being  suspended, 
there  was  no  Assembly  to  consult.  Mad  the  French  been  con- 
sulted, they  would  have  rejected  the  scheme  with  scorn,  as  they 


I 


306 


A   ///STOA'Y  OF  C^. V.IDA. 


i     2 


lii  ^  I 


I 


I 


ii:i 


jii 


imagined  it  to  be  a  mere  cloak  for  the  blotting  out  of  their  lan- 
guage and  nationality.  In  this  fear,  as  events  will  show,  they 
were  very  much  mistaken.  To  get  the  bill  of  union  nccepterl  in 
Upper  Canada  was  a  task  far  harder.  It  tried  all  Mr.  Thonip- 
son's  tact.  Both  branches  of  the  Legislature  were  at  thi<-;  tinit'  in 
the  hands  of  the  Compact,  which  felt  loftily  virtuous  because  it 
had  crushed  the  rebellion  without  help  from  the  home  govern- 
ment. The  idea  of  an  Executive  responsible  to  the  peo[)le  was 
hateful  to  the  Compact.  But  such  an  Executive  was  intended  hy 
the  Act  of  Union,  as  was  shown  by  a  despatch  from  Lord  Russell 
on  the  Tenure  of  Office  (1839),  which  the  governor-general 
read  to  the  Upper  Canadian  Legislature.  He  stated  that  he  had 
"received  Her  Majesty's  commands  to  administer  the  government 
of  these  provinces  in  accordance  with  the  well-understood  wishes 
and  interests  of  the  people."  In  Lord  Russell's  despatches  he 
was  required  to  call  to  his  counsels  and  employ  in  the  pul)lic 
service  those  persons  who  "  have  obtained  the  general  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  province  "  ;  and  it  was  declared  that  thereafter 
certain  heads  of  departments,  such  as  attorney-general,  surveyor- 
general,  receiver-general,  and  other  members  of  the  Executive, 
would  be  called  upon  to  retire  from  the  public  service  when 
motives  of  public  policy  should  require  it. 

The  principles  proclaimed  by  Mr.  Thompson,  and  laid  down 
in  Lord  Russell's  despatch,  were  welcomed  with  joy  by  the  Re- 

™..  ^  .  formers  :  but  to  the  Official  party  they  meant  nothing 
The  Comp:Jct  '  i        j  j  .-5 

bows  to  the  less  than  defeat.  Nevertheless,  to  the  lasting  honour 
win  of  the  '  ° 

home  govern-  ot  their  loyalty  be  it  said,  they  accepted  the  defeat, 
mcnt. 

The   P^xecutive  Council  of  Ui)per  Canada,  the  very 

core  of  the  Compact,  forced  to  the  conviction  that  this  was  the 

will  of  Westminster,  brought  in  the  hateful  bill  as  a  government 

measure  and  carried  it  through  the  Upper  House.     In  the  Assenv 

bly  it  was  debated  with  great  bitterness,  but  the  public  good  and 

the  wish  of  the  Crown  prevailed,  and  the  measure  passed.     With 

some  changes  it  was  again  brought  up  at  Westminster,  and  passed 

in  July,  1840. 


THE  NEW  CONST/ rOTIOy. 


3'-^; 


It  was  not  put  into  effect,  however,  till  February  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  when  Upper   and   Lower  Canada   again   became    one 

province.     For  just   half  a   century  had   they  dwelt 

'  ,  I         4.-  r  Triumph  of 

apart.       Ihe    proclamation   of  reunion   was   aiconi-    themoderpte 

jxmied  by  another  despatch  from  Lord  Russell,  in 
which  it  was  laid  down  that  "  the  governor  must  only  oppose  tlie 
wishes  of  the  Assembly  when  the  honour  of  the  Crown  or  the 
interests  of  the  Empire  are  deeply  concerned."  The  act  was  a 
triumph  of  moderation.  The  moderate  Reformers  were  victori- 
ous. The  extremists  of  both  parties  were  dissatisfied,  —  the 
one  side  regarding  it  as  a  half-measure,  the  other  as  the  enter- 
ing wedge  of  republicanism.  Poulett  Thompson,  who  had  so 
jmliciou.sly  accomplished  his  task,  was  made  Lord  Sydenliam  of 
Kent  and  Toronto. 

By  the  new  constitution  the  Legislature  of  the  United  Canadas 
consisted  of  a  governor ;  an  Upper  House,  or  Legislative  Coun- 
cil, of  twenty  members,  appointed  by  the  Crown ;  xhe  new 
and  a  Lower  House,  or  Assembly,  of  eighty-four  constitution, 
members,  elected  by  the  people.  The  representation  in  lioth 
Houses  was  divided  e(pially  between  the  two  pr>)vinces.  The 
Executive  Council  wa^  composed  of  eight  members,  selected  by 
the  governor  from  both  Houses.  Those  chosen  from  the  Assem- 
bly went  back  to  the  people  for  reelection  before  they  could  per- 
form the  duties  of  office,  thus  assuring  themselves  that  they  had 
the  people's  confidence.  Arrangement  was  made  for  a  permanent 
Civil  List  of  ;^75,ooo  a  year;  but,  this  provided  for,  the  Assembly 
had  full  (-ontrol  of  the  rest  of  the  revenues.  Bills  for  the  expendi- 
ture of  |)ublic  moneys  had  to  originate  with  the  government,  —  a 
measure  wisely  planned  to  check  extravagance.  The  first  Parlia- 
ment under  the  union  was  held  at  Kingston  (June,  1841)  ;  and 
in  his  address  from  the  throne  the  governor-general  declared 
himself  bound  by  the  principles  of  Responsible  Government.  It 
was  not  till  some  years  later,  however,  that  these  principles  came 
to  be  regarded  as  firmly  established  and  in  full  working  order. 
The  first  session  saw  many  important  measures  introduced,  —  for 


308 


//    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


regulation  of  the  currency  and  the  customs,  for  the  extension  of 
<  anals  and  other  public  works,  for  the  spread  of  common  school 
education,  and  for  the  establishment  of  municipal  institutions. 
This  last  was  a  great  boon  to  the  country.  By  giving  each  town- 
ship control  of  its  local  and  internal  affairs,  sectional  jealousies 
were  reduced,  the  French  Canadian.^  were  reassured,  and  tlio 
peo])le  generally  were  i)ut  in  the  way  of  learning  the  lesson  of 
self-government.  The  old  bitterness  between  parties  and  between 
races  was  not  to  be  wiped  out  in  a  moment  by  the  magic  of  an 
Art  of  Parliament ;  but  the  widening  of  the  arena  made  it  less 
jiersonal.  New  influences  springing  up  soon  began  to  blur  the 
okl  lines  by  drawing  new  ones  over  them.  The  parlies  dividing, 
the  people  began  to  be  known  as  Conservatives  ^  and  Reformers. 
The  names  had  then  a  meaning  which  was  later  to  become  hope- 
lessly confused. 

The  municipal  institutions,  referred  to  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph, call  for  a  word  of  exi)lanation.  In  the  earlier  days  of  our 
history  each  provincial  legislature  performed  the  duties  of  a 
municipal  council,  and  was  therefore  burdened  with  minute  loc;al 
aff:nrs  of  which  the  majority  of  the  members  knew  nothing.  In 
Ontario  the  Legislature  early  began  to  relieve  itself  by  giving 
Municipal  towns,  counties,  and  villages  the  control,  to  a  large 
institutions,  j^g^ee,  of  their  own  local  business.  By  the  union 
of  1 84 1  this  system,  with  modifications,  was  extended  to  both 
provinces,  and  was  rapidly  enlarged  and  perfected.  Not  till  some 
years  after  Confederation,  however,  were  municipal  institutions 
introduced  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  ;  and  in  Prince 
Kdward  Island  they  are  still  but  imperfectly  developed.  The  Aft 
of  Confederation  gave  each  provincial  legislature  full  control  of 
municipal  institutions  within  its  borders  ;  and  with  the  exception 
just  noted,  each  province   has  now  an  efficient  municipal  code, 


1  J 


1  In  the  original  meaning  of  the  terms  Conservative  and  Ri'former,  these  r('i)ri> 
scnted  .wo  different  methods  of  servinij  the  State.  The  Conservatives  thoiigiit 
mainly  of  preserving  what  was  good  in  institutions,  the  Reformers  of  gettmg  ikI 
of  what  was  bad. 


RESI'ONSIBLE   GOVERNMENT  SET  BACK. 


309 


under  which  each  separate  municipal  district  —  county,  city,  town, 
township,  village,  parish,  as  the  case  may  be  —  attends  to  its  own 
matters  of  public  improvement,  public  health,  and  public  morals, 
and  taxes  its  inhabitants  for  such  purposes.  There  are  slight 
variations  of  procedure  in  the  different  province-:,  but  the  gov- 
erning body  in  each  case  is  the  council,  —  village,  parish,  town, 
county,  or  city  council.  In  village  and  township  councils  the 
chief  officer  is  called  the  reeve  ;  in  town  and  county  councils  he 
is  called  the  warden,  and  in  city  councils  he  is  the  mayor.  The 
members  of  city  councils  are  known  as  aldermen. 

In  the  autumn  Lord  Sydenham  was  thrown  from  his  horse  ;  and 
he  died  some  time  later  from  the  effects  of  the  accident.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Sir  Charles  Bagot.  The  Conservatives  in  England 
had  now  taken  the  reins  of  government ;  Sir  Robert  Peel  was 
prime  minister ;  there  was  a  Conservative  colonial  secretary. 
Lord  Stanley,  in  Downing  Street ;  and  the  new  governor-general 
was  an  old-school  Tory.  The  l^■^mily  Compact  party  in  Canada 
now  looked  for  a  return  to  their  views,  a  reversal  of  the  Responsible 
reforms  which  they  had  found  so  bitter  to  swallow.  SeetsT*^"* 
But  they  were  disappointed.  The  colonial  secretary  <^''*'=''- 
would  make  no  change  ;  and  the  new  governor-general  walked 
firmly  in  the  footsteps  of  his  Liberal  predecessor.  He  called  to 
the  Executive  Messrs.  Lafontaine,  Baldwin,  Hincks,  and  Oaly,  who 
were  the  leaders  of  the  Reform  majority  in  the  Lower  House.  In 
ihe  following  year  Sir  Charles  Bagot  resigned  his  post  on  account 
of  ill-health,  and  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Charles  Metcalfe.  The 
new  governor-general  was  no  believer  in  Responsible  Govern- 
ment for  the  colonies  ;  but  he  was  a  very  firm  believer  in  the 
need  of  upholding  the  prerogative  of  the  Crown.  The  only 
responsibility  he  cared  to  recognize  was  his  own  responsibility  to 
the  Queen  in  Council.  With  these  views,  he  made  several  official 
appointments  without  the  advice  of  his  Executive.  In  vain  did 
lialdwin  and  Lafontaine  remonstrate.  The  governor  insisted  that 
the  right  of  patronage  was  in  his  hands.  He  would  not  yield  it 
up,  said  he,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  certain  of  his  ministers  to 


3IO 


A   Ills  JOKY   Of  CANADA. 


■  i 


/H 


Mf 


Beginning  of 
trouble  over 
Rebellion 
Losses  legis- 
lation. 


buy  favour  with  the  Assembly.  Baldwin  and  Lafontaine  resigned 
office.  In  all  the  provinces  the  c|uarrel  was  eagerly  watched.  A 
general  election  took  place  in  C'anada.  The  governor  was  sus- 
tained. The  Reformers  were  defeated.  The  Conservatives  had 
a  majority  in  the  new  House,  and  \[r.  Draper,  the  Conservative 
leader,  formed  a  ministry.  Responsible  (lovernment  was  set  back 
three  years. 

In  1844  the  seat  of  government  was  moved  from  Kingston  to 
Montreal.  The  colonial  secretary  had  by  this  time  pardoned  all 
the  rebels  but  Mackenzie,  who  did  not  get  his  amnesty  till  five 
years  later.  In  the  new  Parliament  which  met  at  Montreal  in 
November  of  i<S45,  several  of  the  pardoned  rebels  sat  as  mem- 
bers. Lord  Metcalfe  having  resigned,  his  place  was  filled  by  Lord 
Cathcart.  And  now  came  up  a  new  and  burning  question  in 
Canadian  politics.  Sir  Allan  MacNab,  the  loyal  hero 
of  the  rebellion,  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Asseir.- 
bly  under  Draper's  administration.  He  brought  in  a 
bill  for  the  compensation  of  those  persons  in  Upjn-r 
Canada  on  whom  the  rebellion  had  brought  loss.  This  became 
famous  as  the  Rebellion  Losses  Bill.  About  ^^40,000  was  voted 
to  satisfy  these  claims.  On  this  the  representatives  from  Lower 
Canada  came  down  upon  the  ministry  with  a  like  demand,  ihe 
loyalists  of  the  u|)per  province,  who  professed  to  beheve  thai  all 
the  French  Canadians  had  been  rebels,  protested  angrily.  A 
commission  appointed  to  inquire  into  the  matter  reported  that, 
though  the  claims  amounted  to  a  quarter  of  a  million,  ^100,000 
would  cover  the  real  losses.  The  Draper  government  thoreupm 
awarded  ^10,000.  At  this  both  provinces  got  ev 
cited,  —  Lower  Canada  because  the  small  amount 
a  mockery  of  her  claims,  Upper  Canada  because  she 
considered  the  grant  a  compensation  to  rebels.  T^"; 
ing  the  excitement  came  a  change  of  government  in  England. 
A  new  governor-general,  one  of  the  most  firm,  judicious,  aiK! 
capable  that  F'ngland  ever  sent  out,  arrived  in  Canada.  Thi.>  wa^ 
Lord  Elgin,  a  son-in-law  of  Lord  Durham  (1847).     The  year  after 


Lord  Elgin , 
and  the  final 
triumph  of 
Responsible 
Govenunent. 


15 


MAINE  AND  NEW   BRUNSWICK  DlSrUTE. 


311 


his  arrival  electio"!s  were  held.  The  Conservatives  were  defeated, 
and  the  Reformers  found  themselves  with  a  majority  in  the  new 
House.  Mr.  Draper,  accepting  the  iJiintii)h'  of  responsibility, 
handed  in  his  resignation.  Lord  I'^lgin,  i)ri claiming  the  same 
principle,  accepteil  the  resignation,  and  called  the  Reform  leaders, 
Lafontaine  and  lialdwin,  to  form  a  new  government.  This,  in 
1848,  was  the  complete  victory  in  that  long  struggle  l\)r  Responsi- 
ble (iovernment,  which  we  saw  foreshadowed  on  the  coining  of 
the  loyalists,  and  which  fills  the  whole  horizon  of  Canadian  his- 
tory from  the  War  of  1812  to  1848.  The  same  year  saw  the  same 
victory  achieved  in  New  Brunswick  and  in  Nova  S<:otia,  by  steps 
which  we  shall  trace  in  a  succeeding  section.  In  Prince  Edward 
Island  it  was  not  to  be  won  till  1852  ;  and  in  Newfoundland  not 
till  1855. 

87.  Responsible  Government  gained  in  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia.  —  In  the  provinces  by  the  sea  Ofificial  and  Reformer 
alike  had  watched  with  loyal  indignation  the  rebellions  in  the 
sister  provinces.  The  friction  that  kept  the  l)orders  The  Maine 
of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  aflame  reached  eastward  Brui^wick 
to  the  Disputed  Territory  between  Maine  and  New  ^"""•^^^y- 
Brunswick,  and  nearly  gave  rise  to  war.  This  was  in  1839;  but 
to  understand  the  tiuarrel  it  will  be  necessary  to  go  back  to  the 
treaty  of  1783,  which  professed  to  define  the  boundary  between 
the  British  possessions  and  those  of  the  new  republic.  When 
(ireat  Britain  recognized  her  revolted  colonies  as  an  independent 
nation,  their  eastern  boundary,  as  has  been  said,  was  defined  to 
be  the  St.  Croix  River,  with  a  line  drawn  from  its  source  to  the 
highlands  dividing  the  waters  falling  into  the  Atlantic  from  those 
emptying  themselves  into  the  St.  I^wrence.  Immediately  dis- 
pute arose  as  to  which  was  the  St.  Croix  River,  the  Americans 
claiming  it  to  be  a  stream  now  known  as  the  Magaguadavic,  far  to 
the  east  of  the  true  St.  Croix.  This  question  was  set  at  rest  by 
discovery  of  the  remains  of  Champlain's  ill-fated  settlement  on  the 
island  at  the  river's  mouth.  But  the  St.  Croix  had  branches  ;  and 
dispute  arose  as  to  which  branch  was  the  true  St.  Croix.    The 


312 


A   IIISTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


\    i 


m 


commissioners  appointed  to  decide  this  point  agreed  npon  the 
most  westerly  branch  ;  ;ind  at  its  sotirce  they  erecte(i  a  stono 
monument  as  a  perpetual  lamhnark  (i79<S).  The  next  dith 
culty  was  in  regard  to  the  "  higiilands."  The  British  claimed  thai 
they  were  a  line  of  heights  of  which  Mars  Hill,  about  forty  miles 
north  of  the  monument,  was  the  chief;  and  this  claim  was  justi 
fied  by  the  fact  that  the  spirit,  if  not  the  letter,  of  the  treaty  (jf 
1 7iS3  intended  that  all  the  tributaries  of  the  St.  John  should  lie 
in  British  territory.  I'he  Americans  claimed  that  the  highlands 
referred  to  in  the  treaty  were  those  running  a  hundred  miles  fur- 
ther north,  skirting  the  St.  Lawrence  valley,  —  a  claim  which,  if 
allowed,  would  give  them  a  number  of  the  largest  tributaries  ut' 
the  St.  John.  It  was  a  difference  which  the  commissioners  could 
not  settle.  Therefore  it  remained  open,  and  in  time,  as  pioneers 
began  to  cast  their  eyes  on  those  fertile  tracts  and  rich  timber 
areas,  it  gave  rise  to  such  wrangling  that  the  district  in  debate 
became  known  as  the  Disputed   Territory. 

The  quarrel  waxed  hot  during  the  governorship  of  Sir  Howard 
Douglas,  when  Maine  militia  gathered  on  the  border  and  threat- 
Maine  ened  to  seize  the  territory.  A  party  of  adventurers, 
Disputed***  under  a  man  named  Baker,  sallied  in,  and  hoisted  the 
Territory.  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the  Madawaska.  Sir  Howard  sent 
his  troops  to  confront  the  Maine  militia  ;  but  he  left  the  (  ivil 
authorities  to  deal  with  Baker's  raid.  A  constable  with  his  possr 
hastened  up  to  Madawaska,  cut  down  the  flag-staff,  seized  Baker, 
rolled  the  American  flag  under  his  arm,  and  carried  them  lK)th  to 
Fredericton.  Baker  was  brought  to  trial  and  fined.  'Vhv  men 
of  Maine  stormed,  but  diil  not  strike.  In  the  hope  of  a  settle- 
ment the  matter  was  then,  in  1829,  referred  to  the  King  of  the 
Netherlands,  who,  after  careful  investigation,  declared  that  the 
rights  of  the  case  were  beyond  his  power  to  determine.  He  pro- 
posed a  division  of  the  territory,  giving  the  larger  share  to  tiio 
Americans  ;  but  as  each  claimant  believed  he  ought  to  have  the 
whole,  this  plan  was  acceptable  to  neither.  The  bone  of  conten- 
tion remained,  and  both  parties  eyed  each  other  angrily  across 


T/IA'IiATS   OJ-    n'AK. 


i^}> 


it.  At  length,  in  1S39,  while  Ogdensburg,  FUiffalo,  and  Pctroit 
were  breathing  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  their  neigh- 
bours over  the  line,  (lovernor  l-'airfieid  of  Maine  concUided  that 
the  time  was  ripe  for  taking  in  the  coveted  areas.  In  January  a 
band  of  lumber  thieves,  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  both  Maine 
and  New  Brunswick,  invaded  the  territory  and  <  ut  a  lot  of  valuable 
timber.  The  governor  of  Maine  sent  a  sheriff  and  posse  to  drive 
them  out  and  seize  their  logs.  At  news  of  this  a  band  of  New 
Brunswick  lumbermen  gathered  to  repel  the  men  of  Maine,  the 
guardianship  of  the  territory  being  in  the  hands  of  the  New  Bruns- 
wick government.  A  light  tcjok  place  in  the  wintry  forest.  The 
Americans  were  driven  back;  and  one  of  their  leaders,  a  land 
agent  named  Mclntyre,  was  made  jjrisoncr  and  carried  off  to 
Fredericton  on  a  horse-sled.  'I'o  compensate  for  this  rebuff,  the 
Maine  men  sei/.ed  McLaughlin,  the  regularly  appointed  wanlen 
of  the  l)is[)uted  Territory,  and  carrietl  him  captive  to  Augusta. 

Both  Maine  and  New  Brunswick  now  wanted  to  fight  it  out. 
Maine  sent  eighteen  hundred  militiamen  to  the  .Vroos-  war  threat- 
took.  Sir  John  Har\  ev,  then  governor  of  New  Bruns-  *"®^ 
wick,  issuetl  a  proclamation,  calling  on  (Governor  Fairfield  to  with- 
draw his  troops,  and  reasserting  the  acknowledged  right  and  duty 
of  Great  Britain  to  guaril  the  territory  till  the  question  of  ownersiiip 
should  be  settled.  Fairfield  vehemently  denied  this  right,  and 
issued  a  call  for  ten  thousand  state  troo])S  in  order  that  he  might 
go  in  and  take  possession.  Sir  John  Harvey  then  sent  up  two 
regiments  of  the  line,  with  artillery,  and  some  companies  of  en- 
thusiastic volunteers  from  along  the  St.  John  River  valley.  The 
whole  province  was  full  of  fight,  and  the  governor  had  hard  work 
to  hold  the  troops  in  check.  Nor  was  the  excitement  confined  to 
Maine  and  New  Brunswick.  On  the  one  side  the  haters  of  I'.ng- 
land  throughout  the  Union,  led  by  Daniel  Webster,  clamoured  for 
war.  On  the  other  side  the  Canadas  sent  sympathy  and  offers  of 
aid ;  and  Nova  .Scotia,  in  loyal  ardour,  voted  all  her  militia  and 
^100,000  in  money  to  aid  New  Brunswick  in  her  quarrel,  'I'his 
patriotic  vote  was  carried  with  a  roar  of  cheers  from  the  floor  of 


I.: 


Ml 

ii! 


1?? 

t 
I 


J"   ! 


314 


/t   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


tlu-  House  and  fmin  the  close-throiif^od  i;.illeries.  In  Mn^hnd, 
however,  no  less  a  jcjiirnal  than  tlie  Times,  with  that  ignorant  con- 
teiiipt  for  colonial  interests  which  has  more  than  once  cost  us  dear, 
proposed  that  the  Americans  sh<juld  he  given  all  they  asked  ;  nay, 
even  ihat  they  should  have  all  New  Hrunswick  lying  west  of  the 
St.  John  River.  Tortunately  I'resident  \'an  Huren  was  calm  and 
just  in  the  matter,  and  was  not  to  be  clamuureil  into  war  as  Madi- 
son had  been  m  1X12.  He  !>en(  (leneral  Winficld  Scott  to  the 
scene  of  action.  Si  oil,  whom  we  have  met  before  in  these  p.iges, 
was  a  brave  general,  but  temperate  and  jtidiiious.  He  stopped 
the  warlike  stir  of  Maine's  iiotdieaded  governor,  and  began  sober 
negotiations  with  Sir  John  flarvey.  The  two  genetals  had  fought 
against  each  other,  and  learned  to  respect  each  other,  at  Lundy's 
Lane  and  Stony  Creek.  They  soon  came  t(j  an  agreement.  \ 
temporary  joint  occupation  was  decided  on  ;  and  what  is  some- 
times jocosely  termed  the  "Aroostook  War"  was  brought  to  a 
bloodless  end. 

IJut  the  difficulty  remained.  The  Maine  settlers  went  on  en- 
croaching ;  and  a  fresli  survey  threw  no  new  liirht  upon  the  ^ub- 
TheAshbur-  j'^'-t-  At  last,  in  1842  the  Hon.  Mr.  Baring  and 
ton  Treaty.  y^^  Daniel  Webster  were  appointed  commissioners  to 
settle  the  dispute.  They  met  ;  and  Baring,  as  was  to  have  been 
expected,  was  overmatched  by  his  strong  and  keen  opponent.  Of 
the  twelve  thousand  square  miles  under  dispute  five  thousand  were 
given  to  New  Brunswick,  and  seven  thousand,  by  far  the  most 
valuable  region,  went  to  Maine.  The  line  dn  •  north  from  the 
monument  was  continued  ti'  it  ruck  the  St.  John  just  beyond 
the  mouth  of  the  Aroosti  ncnce  the  S^  John  was  the  boun 

dary  as  far  as  the  St.  Fran>  iiich  stream  .  .  made  the  north-east 
boundary  of  Maine.  New  -  msv  k  swallowed  the  decision  as 
best  she  could  ;  and  indeed,  with  >  '■l)ster  as  her  foe  and  England 
eager  only  for  a  settlement,  she  was  fortunate  to  get  w' 'it  she  did. 
Mr.  Baring  was  made  liOrd  Ashburton,  and  the  treaty  based  on 
his  labours  was  named  for  him. 

In  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  however,  this  division  was 


<  ; 

I: 


A  SUB  UK  TON    TKEA  T  Y. 


3'5 


bitterly  opposed.  The  Senate  wanted  all.  It  was  on  ihe  point 
of  rejecting  the  treaty,  when  it  was  suddenly  brought  to  terms 
by  Mr.  Wcbsti-r.  Behind  <  losrd  doors  Wcbslfr  un-  webstnr's 
folded  u  niaj)  which  he  had  luul  all  through  the  *  on-  <>"?"<:'»>■• 
ference,  but  which  he  luul  kept  can-fully  from  the  eyes  of  Mr.  Bar- 
ing. The  map  ])urported  to  be  a  copy  of  one  made  by  l-'ranklin, 
containing  the  boundaries  as  ai:tually  agreed  on  by  the  treaty  of 
1783.  The  eastern  boundary,  marked  with  a  red  line,  was  exactly 
what  the  iiritish  claimed.  With  this  evidence  before  them  to  show 
that  the  British  had  bi-cn  uorUcd,  the  Senate  made  haste  tu  accept 
•lO  good  a  bargain,  ami  the  .\shl)urtc>ii  Treaty  was  ratified  (1.S42). 
'Vo  return  to  the  r|uestion  of  Responsible  Ciovernment  m  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  we  must  go  back  to  1830  and  Russeir> 
despatch  on  the  Tenure  of  Office.     It  was  held  by  the     , 

'  ^  Now  Bruiis- 

Reformers  of  Nova  Scotia  and  N'ew  Brunswick  that  this   wick  Assera 

,     ,  bJy  rejects 

(.lesi)atch  applied  to  all  thi'  inovinces.      The  governor   Responsible 

.  .  '  Government. 

of  New  Brunswick,  Sir  Jolm  Harvey,  read  the  despatch 
to  his  Legislature  when  it  came,  and  declared  for  its  acceptance. 
But  so  well  hat!  he  soothed  all  strife  that  the  Assembly  no  longer 
seemed  anxious  for  its  rights.  .\  measure  to  adopt  Responsible 
(loverninent  was  defeated  after  full  debate  by  just  one  vote,  the 
casting  vote  of  the  speaker. 

In  Nova  Scotia  the  case  was  very  different.  Sir  Colin  Camp- 
bell was  by  no  means  Sir  John  Harvey.  When  the  desj)atch  came 
to  his  hands  he  said  nothing  about  it,  but  continued   ^^ 

°  The  quarrel 

in  his  old  course.     The  .Assembly  having  passed  bv  a  continued  in 

-  ,  ,  .      ',        Nova  Scotia, 

i^wecping  majority  a  vote  of  want  of  conhdence  in  the 

l'>xecutive,  the  Reformers  expected  the  Executive  to  resign.     The 

governor,  however,  said  that  his  advisers  suited  him.  whether  they 

suited  the  Assembly  or  not.     In  vain  the  Assembly  appealed  to  the 

despatch,  and  to  Sir  John  Harvey's  interpretation  of  it.     Sir  Colin 

Campbell  said  he  could  interpret  the  des{)atch  for  himself.     Party 

feeling  again  grew  hot.     A  memorial  to  the  Throne  was  talked  of, 

asking  for  the  removal  of  Sir  Colin,     .\ngry  niectings  were  held 

all  over  the  province,  and  vehement  was  the  flow  of  party  elo- 


w 


3i6 


A    IllSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


1    ,' 


i    \ 


(|uence.  The  times  had  called  forth  brilliant  men  in  a  province 
which  has  ever  been  fruitful  of  that  rare  product  The  Reformers 
were  led  by  such  clKinifjions  as  Howe,  Uniacke,  and  Young  ;  but 
the  (.'onservatives  had  a  leach"-  wlio  was  not  second  to  Howe  hiin- 
sclf  in  elociucnce  and  authority.  This  was  James  W.  Johnstone,  a 
man  who  won  the  devotion  of  his  friends  and  the  respect  of  his 
most  ol)stinate  rivals. 

When  Mr.  Poulett  Thompson  visited  the  Maritime  Provinc,i;s, 
he  had  an  interview  with  Howe,  and  found  reason  to  support  the 
claims  of  the  Reformers.  Sir  Colin  Campbell  was  recalled  ;  and 
Lord  Falkhuul,  who  succeeded  him,  tried  a  jiolicy  of  compromise. 
Certain  members  of  the  Executive  were  retired,  and  three  of  the 
Reform  leaders,  Howe,  Uniacke,  and  MacNab,  were  called  to  take 
their  place.  This  formed  a  coalition  government,  the  member, 
of  which  mingled  like  oil  and  water.  An  oft-debated  bill  for  the 
incorporation  of  Halifax  was  jxissed  ;  but  harmony  was  not  to  be 
ex])ected  with  Howe  and  Johnstone  m  harness  together.  On  al- 
most every  (jucstion  they  pulled  opposite  ways.  On  the  subject  of 
education  they  canie  into  open  contlict.  Howe  favoured  free  com- 
mon schools,  and  one  provincial  university.  Johnstone  favoured 
denominational  schools  and  colleges,  with  provincial  grants.  It 
was  soon  seen  thai  the  coalition  nuist  fall.  Lord  Falkland,  haviinr 
gone  over  to  the  Conservatives,  dissolved  the  House  without  con- 
sulting the  Reform  members  of  tlie  government.  'Hien,  a  vacancy 
occurring  on  the  Council,  he  followed  the  example  cf  Metcalfe  in 
the  upper  province,  and  appointed  a  new  nicmber  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility. Upon  this  Howe,  Uniacke,  and  MacNab  resigned 
their  offices  (1S44V  Once  more  was  the  battle  joined  between 
governor  and  Asseml)ly.  Between  Howe  anci  Falkland  it  grew 
violently  personal.  Falkland  tried,  but  in  vain,  to  lead  away  tlic 
Reformers  from  their  chief.  Howe,  not  content  with  the  weapt)n:; 
of  argument  and  eloquence,  lampooned  his  foe  in  bitter  verse. 
The  Colonial  Office,  seeing  that  Falkland's  usefulness  was  gone. 
recalled  him,  and  put  the  great  peacemaker,  Sir  John  Harvey,  m 
his  place. 


■  f 


KESPOXSnU.E    GOVEKNMEXT  W  NOVA   SCOTIA. 


317 


grew 
ay  the 
capons 

verse. 

gone, 
"Ivcv,  in 


Sir  Jolin  at  omcc  invited  tlic  Reform  leaders  back  into  the 
Coiinril ;  hut  liie)  rciused  on  two  grounds,  —  first  because  there 
was  a  ('onser\'ative  majority  in  the  House,  and  second  because 
they  had  had  enough  uf  coahtion.      They  said  tiu'v   „ 

•'  .  ^  _  ■  '     Triumph  of 

would  wait  till  the  aiMtroaching  elections  should  show   Responsible 

,  Government 

whom  the  i)cov)le  wanteil.      Late  \\\  1847  the  elections   in  Nova 
,      ,  1     ,  .       ,,  •      ,  •     Scotia, 

took  place;  and  wlien  the   House  met,  m  January,  it 

showed  a  majority  of  Reformers.     Johnstone  retireil,  and  Howe 

was  called  uixm  to  form  a  government.      This,  in  i8.|8,  was  the 

triuiu[)h  of  Responsible  (iovernment  in  Nova  Scotia. 

in  New  l^rimswick  the  end  of  the  l)oundary  dispute  and  the 
departure  of  Sir  John  Harvey  were  followed  by  a  drop  in  the 
lumlier  trade,  which  brought  all  the  province  into  The  dispute 
trouble.  At  the  same  time  the  city  of  St.  Jolin  was  New  Bruns- 
scourged  by  fire,  which  added  to  the  general  depres-  ^"^''" 
sion.  A  few  years  before  this  the  province  ad  had  a  large 
balance  to  its  credit,  but  now  it  found  itself  in  debt,  and  this 
state  of  affairs  was  charged  to  the  Reformers  and  their  extrava- 
gant meddling  with  the  revenue.  In  1842  an  election  was  held. 
The  Conservatives  were  victorious,  and  when  Sir  Charles  Met- 
calfe in  Canada  was  (juarrelling  with  his  ministry  over  the  right 
of  appointing  to  office,  the  New  Brunswick  .Assembly  passed 
resolutions  thanking  the  autocratic  governor-general  for  his  firm 
stand  against  republicanism.  But  the  sincerity  of  these  profes- 
sions was  soon  tested.  The  governor  of  New  Brunswick,  Sir 
William  Colebrook,  trusting  to  the  docile  spirit  of  the  Assembly, 
ai)pointed  his  son-in-law,  an  Englishman,  to  the  office  of  pro- 
vincial secretary.  There  was  angry  protest  at  once,  and  four 
nionilicrs  of  the  Council  resigned.  The  Conservatives  said  that 
Sir  William  had  no  right  to  appoint  an  outsider  ;  the  Reformers 
said  he  had  no  right  to  a|)point  any  one.  The  appointment  was 
presently  cancelled  by  the  home  government,  and  the  position  was 
given  to  a  New  Brunswicker. 

With  the  coming  of  I,ord  Elgin  to  Canada  as  governor-general, 
the  principles  of  Reform  went  abroad  on  the  air,  even  to  Conser- 


-VJH"  as 


u 


^1 


3i« 


A    //J STORY  OF  CAAADA. 


vative  New  Brunswick.  In  fact,  the  Conservative  ministry  itself 
brought  in  a  measure  for  Responsible  Government,  —  whence  ii 
Coalition  and  n^ight  have  been  said  of  them  as  it  was  said  oi  Sir 
FiSnsiMe  Robert  Peel,  that  they  caught  the  Reformers  in 
irfwew"^"*  swimming  and  stole  their  clothes.  The  measure 
Brunswick,  ^^g  passed  by  an  overwhelming  majority,  Govern- 
ment and  Opposition,  Conservative  and  Reformer,  voting  side- 
by  side  (1S48).  A  new  ministry  was  formed,  including  the 
two  Reform  leaders,  Wilmot  and  Fisher.  Responsible  ( lovcrn 
ment  was  now  established  beyond  the  reach  of  question,  in  New 
Bnmswick,  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  united  Canadas.  In  New 
Brunswick,  however,  the  principle  thus  established  in  theory  was 
not  applied  in  actual  practice  till  1854,  when,  the  Reformeri 
gaining  a  majority  in  the  House,  the  Conservative  ministry  made 
way  for  a  Reform  cabinet. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

SECTIONS: — 88,  THK  REBELLION  LcjssE.s  Bill.  Conki'.dekation 
I'Uoi'DSEi).  8y,  THE  Recii'Kocity  Treaty.  90.  I^kim  i:  Eii- 
wAKi)  Island,  Newkounulanu,  the  North-'.vest,  .\ni)  I'.kiiish 
Columbia. 


88.   The  Rebellion  Losses  Bill.     Confederation  proposed.  —  Let 

lis  turn  again  to  tlie  upper  provinces.  I.onl  Mlgin  had  called 
upon  the  Reform  leaders,  Lalbntaine  and  Haldwin,  to  The  Rebellion 
form  a  government  in  Canada.  Resi)onsihle  dovern-  Lossesagam. 
nient,  now  in  the  very  hour  of  its  triumph,  was  to  ti)nfront  a  cruci.il 
test.  In  1S46,  as  we  have  seen,  those  (.■ili/eu^  of  Cpper  Canada 
who  had  suffered  in  the  rebellion  got  comi)ensation  from  the  public 
ftmds,  while  citizens  of  Lower  Canada  who  had  suffered  in  the 
same  way  were  denied  it.  We  have  noticeil,  too,  the  cause  of 
this  distincti'.)n.  iiut  as  soon  as  the  Reformers  came  to  power, 
a  bill  was  brought  in  to  authorize  the  payment  of  ^'100,000  in 
satisfaction  of  claims  in  Lower  Canada.  The  bill  carefully  pro- 
vided that  no  compensation  should  be  made  to  any  one  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  rebellion,  'i'he  liritish  party,  however,  raised  a 
loud  cry  of  "  \o  pay  to  rebeli."  Hitter  parly  feelings,  race 
jealousies  yet  more  bitter,  again  flamed  out. 

'I'he  object  of  the  Conservatives  was  to  break  up  the  union.  !"or 
tills  purpose  a  "  British  North  American  League  "  was  formed,  with 
lieadciuarters  at  Montreal.    And  now,  out  of  the  puliti- 

,  ,       ,  ,  r    ,  British  North 

cal  darkness  arose  the  hrst  true  dawn  of  the  splendid   American 
idea  of  Confederation  (1849).     Sewell  had  suggested 
it  in  I  Si  6,  but  this  had  been  no  more  than  the  flash  of  a  meteor, 
bright  for  a  moment  and  then  forgotten.     Durham  had  dreamed 

S'9 


f     * 


320 


A   I/IS  TORY  OF  CANADA, 


ill 


of  it  in  1838  ;  but  the  dream  had  faded.  It  had  been  jeered  into 
oblivion  by  these  very  Conservatives  who  now  began  to  realize  its 
si)lendour  and  its  power.  Not  till  after  twenty  years  of  turbulent 
}j;rowth  was  the  scheme  to  reach  fulfdment,  —  but  never  again  was 
it  to  pass  out  of  men's  minds.  The  c  harm  of  the  idea  just  now, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Hritish  party,  was  the  fact  that  it  offered  a  way 
out  of  the  union,  as  well  as  a  better  control  of  the  French  Cana- 
dian vote.  In  a  union  of  the  British  North  American  provinces, 
Canada,  of  course,  would  make  two  [)rovinces  ;  and  Upper  Canada 
would  again  be  free  to  manage  her  own  affairs.  The  Conserva- 
tives made  urgent  appeal  to  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  for 
support ;  but  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  listened  coldly. 
And  now  the  wheel  of  circumstance  took  an  astonishing  turn. 
The  party  of  loyalty  was  to  be  seen  threatening  treason  in  their 
righteous  wrath  at  seeing  treason  go  unpunished.  The  British 
party  began  to  talk  annexation.  A  few  unbalanced  spirits  threat- 
ened to  call  in  the  aid  of  the  United  States,  in  case  the  French 
claims  were  granted,  and  a  union  of  all  the  provinces  refused. 
The  Reformers,  once  all  too  friendly  with  sedition  and  violence, 
xiow  stood  fast  for  Constitutional  Covernment. 

In  the  Parliament  House  at  Montreal  the  bill  was  {ow^Va 
furiously  step  by  step,  the  opposition  being  let!  by  tiie  sohiit  r- 
Lord  Elgin  politician  Sir  Allan  MacNab.  When  it  was  finally 
Rebdifon°  passetl  by  a  determined  majority,  the  opposition 
Losses  Bin.  strained  every  nerve  to  persuade  Lord  Elgin  to  veto 
it.  Responsible  Government  trembled  in  the  balance.  But 
Lord  Elgin  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  He  saw  that 
the  measure,  whether  a  wise  one  or  not,  was  that  of  a  ministrv 
which  had  the  confidence  of  the  people.  He  saw  that  the  money 
to  be  spent  was  money  which  the  Provincial  Legislature  had  a 
right  to  spend.  He  saw  that  no  imperial  prerogative  nas  \\\ 
danger.  Ignoring  the  threats  of  the  minority,  on  April  25th  he 
signed  the  bill.     Responsible  Government  had  triumphed. 

As  Lord  Elgin  left  the  Parliament  Pmildings  the  news  of  his 
resolute  action  preceded  him.     A  swiftly  gathering  mob,  lepre- 


OTTAIVA    THE    CAPITAL. 


321 


seating  much  of  the  wealth  and  respectabihty  of  the  city,  pursued 

his  carriage  with  jeers,  and  stones,  and  rotten  eggs.     The  news 

spread  Uke  wildfire.      I'he  mob  swelled   in   numbers 
'  ,  ,  The  Parlia- 

and  in  wrath.     The  Assembly  was  holding  a  night   ment  Buiid- 

T^  II  1  II  ,  '"8S  burned. 

session.  Presently  the  crowd,  armed  with  muskets, 
stones,  and  flaring  torches,  surged  against  the  Parliament  House. 
Through  the  gleaming  windows  crashed  a  sliower  of  stones  that 
drove  the  members  from  their  seats.  'I'he  molj  rushed  in,  and 
cleared  the  House.  One  rioter  carried  off  the  mace.  .Another 
seated  himself  in  the  speaker's  chair,  placed  the  official  hat  uj)on 
his  head,  and  roared  "The  French  Parliament  is  dissolved." 
Others  applied  the  torch,  and  suddenly  the  gn?at  building  wis 
in  flames.  The  timbers  were  dry,  and  the  conflagration  was  swift. 
By  midnight  the  building,  with  all  the  state  records  and  a  valu:il)le 
library,  was  a  heap  of  glowing  ruins. 

For  the  next  two  days  the  city  seethed  with  wrath,  while  Parlia- 
ment held  its  sessions  in  Bonsecour  Market.  Lord  Elgin  was 
formally  thanked  by  the  Legislature,  while  the  minority 

,      .  ,  111  '      '^'"^'  -apital 

drew  up  bitter  resolutions  demanding  that  the  home   removed  to 

.  Ottawa. 

government  should  recall  him  and  disallow  the  bill. 
The  home  government,  however,  sustaineii  him  ;  m\(\  for  months 
the  stanch  old  Loyalists  and  Tories  growled  out  iheir  ill-temper  in 
rebellious  threats.  Hut  Montreal's  brief  career  as  a  capital  was 
over.  She  had  forfeited  all  claim  to  it.  Parliament  met  no  more 
beneath  the  shadow  of  Mount  Royal.  For  a  time  it  borrowed 
the  fashion  of  our  early  educators,  .xwA  "boarded  round."  It 
sat  alternately  at  Toronto  and  (Quebec,  four  years  in  each  city. 
Then,  growing  tired  of  the  ex[)e!ise  and  inconvenience  of  this 
peripatetic  plan,  it  called  upon  the  Queen  to  choose  it  a  perma- 
nent home.  In  185S  fier  ^Lljesly's  (  hoice  was  made.  It  fell 
upon  the  litde  lumbering  village  of  IJytown,  on  the  Ottawa, 
remote  from  the  rivalries  of  cities  and  the  perils  ot  the  bordet. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Ottawa  ;  and  Pariiainent  met  amid 
the  shriek  of  sleepless  saws  and  the  thunder  of  the  Chaudi^re 
cataract. 

Y 


»TC)|Bif^ 


322 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


ll 


; 


In  the  year  following  these  events,  the  Untish  Nonu  American 
Provinces  entered  np<jn  a  period  of  trade  de[)re-;sion  which  sorclv 

Great  Britain  ^''"''■^  ^'^'''''^  manhood.  The  "Corn  Laws"  had  been 
repeals  the       repealed  by  England,  which  forced  Canadian  grain  to 

andNaviga-  compete  with  the  foreign  product  on  even  terms.  Iii 
tion  Laws.  -         . 

1849  the  provmces  sutlered  a  cruel  blow  in  the  rei)eal 

of  the  Navigatio)!  Laws.     These  laus  had  shut  out  American  ships 

from  the  carryuig  trade  of  England,  and  created  the  great  shipping 

industries  of  the  Maritin  e  Provinces.     V\'hen  this  protection  was 

torn  away,  a  cry  of  distress  went  \\]i  from  every  colonial  seaport. 

Everywhere,  for  a  time,  was  panic.     But  left  to  their  own  resources, 

the  pluck  and  enterprise  of  this  northern  people  (piickly  asserted 

themselves.     New  channels  of  trade  were  ojiened,  new  business, 

new  undertakings,  absorbed  our  young  energy  ;  and  "  good  times" 

came  again.      Lhe  period  between  the  Jhi;!!  triumph  of  Rcs])()n- 

sible  Government  and  the  active  movement  for  Confederation,  a 

period  of  about  fifteen  years,  saw  a  s[)lendid  advance  in  wealth, 

population,  and  public  enterprise.     Kdu*  ation  v/as  bpread  abroati, 

railways  and  canals  were  built,  telegraph  and  steamship  hnes  were 

establishedi,  common  roads  began  to  enlace  the  wilderness  with 

their  civilizing  network.     Most  significant,  from  a  national  jioint 

of  view,  was  the  effort  made  in  this  period  to  unite  the  ]jruvinccs 

by  the  iron  bands  of  an  intercolonial  railway. 

The  idea  of  an  intercolonial  railway  originated  in  that  fruitful 

source  of  good,  the  brain  of  Lord  Durham.     It  lay  unheeded  fur 

a  time  :  but  a  few  years  later  began  an  era  of  railway 
Intercolonial  .  '       . 

RaUway  building  in  (}reat  Mritain  and  the  United  States,  and  the 

negotiations.     .  -  .  ,        .,  ,    ., 

unpulse  spread  to  the  colonies.     A  railway  was  built 

between  Montreal  and  Portland,  Maine  ;  and  in  1846  a  sur\ey  was 
undertaken  with  a  view  to  a  railway  between  Quebec  and  the  Mari- 
time Provinces.  This  was  just  Lord  Durham's  scheme  revival. 
The  report  of  the  engineers  who  conducted  the  sur\''ey  was  favour- 
able. It  spoke  highly  of  the  country  that  would  thus  be  opened 
up.  Of  the  various  routes  proposed,  it  gave  the  preference  to  that 
following  the  Gulf  coast  of  New  Brunswick,  familiarly  known  as  the 


CI.EKGY  RESERVES  AND   SEIGXEURIAL    TENURE. 


nrovincos 


"  North  Shore."  As  the  railway  was  (h'signcd  to  he  no  less  a 
military  than  a  commercial  line,  it  was  expected  that  Ckeat  Britain 
should  help  to  bnild  it ;  but  the  Colonial  Office  threw  cold  water  on 
the  scheme.  Thus  discouraged  in  their  hopes  of  a  trade  with  the 
St,  Lawrence,  the  Maritmie  i'rovinces  turned  their  eyes  toward 
New  England.  Sentiment  grew  in  favour  of  a  railway  from  Halifax 
to  St.  John,  and  thence  westward  to  the  American  seaboard  cities, 
in  1850  a  Railway  Convention  was  held  at  Portland,  Maine,  where 
delegates  from  the  New  England  States  fraternized  with  those  from 
New  Brunswick  and  \ova  Scotia.  The  outcome  of  this  gathering 
was  the  scheme  of  tlie  European  anil  North  American  Railway. 
Rut  this  movement  toward  a  purely  American  trade  found  a  strong 
opponent  in  Howe,  who  went  to  England,  and  so  eloquently  advo- 
cateii  the  intercolonial  project  that  the  government  grew  interested. 
In  1S51  a  meeting  of  provincial  delegates  was  held  at  Toronto  to 
discuss  the  scheme  and  arrange  tor  a  division  ^y'i  the  cost.  Every- 
thing looked  toward  success.  But  suddenly  the  home  govern- 
ment amiounced  that  it  would  not  help  that  jjart  of  the  proposed 
line  which  would  connect  St.  John  with  the  main  line  between 
Halifax,  and  Quebec,  —  the  so  called  European  and  North  Amer- 
icm  section.  This  upset  the  whole  project.  There  were  ne.v 
meetings,  and  discussions,  and  delegations  to  England,  till  at  last 
each  province  sullenly  went  its  own  way.  The  Canadas  began  to 
build  the  Grand  JVmik,  v^'ith  a  line  down  the  St.  Lawrence  from 
Quebec.  New  Brunswick  i»u:^hed  ahead  with  the  European  and 
North  American,  c:onnectiug  St.  John  with  Sheliac.  Not  til!  after 
Confederation  had  been  made  a  fact  was  the  great  uniting  railway 
to  be  built. 

89.  The  Reciprocity  Treaty.  —  In  1854,  while  England  and 
France  were  fighting  side  by  side  in  the  (.'rimea  against  the  great 
I'ear   of  the  North,    French-Canadians  and   Entrlish-  „, 

Canailians  were  working  t'>L;ether  in  the  development   Reserves  ana 

V      '^  '  Seigneurial 

of  our  (.  ountry.     To  this  iiericjd  belongs  the  oeaceful   Tenure 

^  '  .  abolished, 

conclusion  of  the  Clergy  Reserves  disf>ute.     'I'he  Cana- 
dian Legislature  passed  an  act  formally  declaring  the  separation 


mmmmmm 


324 


-•/    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


ifM 


I ' 


of  Church  and  State,  Rectoricb  already  endowed  were  not  inter- 
fered with,  and  certain  provisions  were  made  for  the  wi(l')Wi  and 
orphans  of  the  clergy.  Tlie  balance  of  the  Reserves,  both  UukIs 
and  lands,  were  d!stribnt(>d  among  the  different  townshii)i,  in  pro- 
portion to  tiieir  ])opulation,  for  purposes  of  education  and  local 
improvement.  In  the  following  year  steps  were  t.iken  to  free 
the  small  farmers  of  Lower  Canada  from  the  bondage  and  incon- 
venience of  the  Feudal  or  Seigneurial  Tenure,  by  buying  out  the 
claims  of  tlie  seigneurs.  This  reform,  though  set  on  foot  in  1855, 
was  not  completed  till  four  years  later.  The  liabitans  themselves 
paid  a  small  portion  of  the  seigneurial  claims,  but  the  bulk  cf 
expense,  to  the  sum  of  ;^ 650,000,  was  borne  l.'V  the  province  at 
large. 

Besides  this  quieting  of  vexed  questions  and  salving  of  c.id 
wounds,  the  stmamer  of  1S54  saw  the  acconiplishment  of  an  im- 
The  Recipio-  portant  treaty  between  the  provinces  and  tht^  United 
city  Treaty,  s^^tes.  This  was  the  fiimous  Reciprocity  Treaty,  wiiic  h 
introduced  a  season  of  friendly  intercourse  and  busy  commerce 
between  Canadians  anil  their  southern  kinsmen.  The  treaty  pro- 
vided fir  a  free  exchange  of  the  products  of  the  sea,  the  fields, 
the  forest^  and  the  min  '.  It  admitted  .'\mericans  to  the  rich 
Canadian  fisheries,  and  to  the  advantages  of  Canadian  river  and 
canal  navigation.  To  Canadian  farmers,  hmibermen,  and  miners, 
it  was  l)eneficial ;  but  to  the  Maritime  Provinces  it  refused  the 
only  boon  worth  being  considered  in  exchange  for  the  fislieries, 
namely,  the  adrnission  of  provincial  ships  to  the  American  coasting 
trade.  On  the  whole,  the  treaty  was  a  good  thing  for  Canada, 
though  perhaps  more  advantageous  to  the  Americans,  lis  pro- 
visions were  to  remain  in  force  for  ten  years,  after  which  either 
party  to  the  agreement  was  left  free  to  end  it  by  giving  one  year's 
notice.  As  will  be  seen  later  on,  it  was  terminatC'.l  by  the  \meii- 
cans,  who  thought  that  by  depriving  Canada  of  their  markets  they 
would  force  her  into  the  Union. 

The  effect  of  the  Crimean  War  on  Canada  was  to  stir  up  a  new 
and  eager  loyalty.     The  Royal  Canadian  100th,  one  of  the  most 


DKUT    TO  WARD    VOh'FEDERAriON. 


3-^5 


effective  rci^iments  of  the  British  ret,MiIar  army,  was  altogether 
recruited  in  Canada.  The  battle  of  the  Alma  called  forth  (on- 
gratulatory  addresses  from  the  Canadian  Legislature, 

.,  -r         r      r  r  ,  ,■     r       r        -,  .  KffCCtS  Of  the 

With  a  L^itt  of  /, 20,000  for  the  relief  of  widows  and  or-   Crimean  war 

^1  1       r  11  I  «  .      •  0"  Canada, 

phans  of  those  who  fell  in  the  war.     Among  the  heroes 

of  the  struggle  were  three  sons  of  Nova  Scotia.  Major  Welsford 
and  Captain  Parker  fell  at  the  head  of  the  storming  ]>artv  that  tar- 
ried  the  Redan,  In  Halifax  stands  a  monument  to  their  h<'r(jic 
memory.  General  P'enwick  Williams  covered  himself  and  his  native 
land  with  glory  by  his  magnificent  defence  of  Kars,  a  fortress  in 
Asia  Minor.  The  exploit  won  him  a  baronetcy  from  the  Queen 
and  a  pension  from  the  British  Parliament.  Sir  Kenwick  Williams 
was  afterwards  made  governor  of  his  native  province.  I'rom 
New  Brunswick,  too,  went  men  of  loyalist  breeding  and  tradi- 
tion, who  brought  bark  to  their  quiet  colonial  homes  on  the  St. 
John  the  most  coveted  of  English,  French,  antl  Turkish  medals, 
awarded  them  for  valour  on  the  battlefield.  Such  deeds  of 
Canadians  gave  an  impulse  to  our  military  si)irit,  and  in  1855  a 
Volunteer  Force  was  organized  for  home  defence.  This  force 
has  been  steadily  maintained  and  developed  to  the  present 
day. 

At  this  time  the  principle  of  an  elective  Upper  Chamber  was 
accepted  in  the  Canadas.  In  1856  it  was  decided  that  as  fast  as 
seats  became  vacant  by  death  or  by  the  retirement  The  canadas 
of  the  life  members  appointed  Ijy  the  Crown,  new  efe"tU'e°'^  ^" 
members  were  to  be  elected  by  the  people  to  serve  ^'"P"  ^ouse. 
for  a  term  of  eight  years.  But  vacancies  occurred  seldom  in  the 
peaceful  Upper  House,  and  long  before  it  became  an  elective 
body  aP  was  changed  by  Confederation. 

In  the  political  field  events  tending  toward  Confederation  began 
to  tread  hard  on  one  another's  heels 
brought  into  the  sphere  of  practical  politics.     

_     ^  \  \  '  .  Dnft  toward 

this  came  about  will  be  told  in  the  succeeding  chap-  coniedera- 

°   .  tion  begins. 

ter.     I,et  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  ahairs  of 

other  sections  of  the  country,  where  the  great  problems  which 


rhe  great  idea  was  soon 


How 


il 


i 


326 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


troubled  the  Canadns,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Briniswick,  had  not 
begun  to  press  for  solution,  or  had  ])ressed  but  lightly. 

go.  Prince  Edward  Island,  Newfoundland,  the  North-west, 
and  British  Columbia. —  In  Prince  lulward  Jsland  a  cen-^ns  was 
Triumph  of  taken  in  1848,  showing  a  population  of  62,634.  Seeing 
Governmeii'i  Responsible  (lovernment  an  accomplished  fact  in 
Edwar"  ^^e  neighbouring  jjrovinces,  the  island  asked  for  the 

itiand.  same  privilege.     But  the  Colonial  Office  said  no.    The 

]>rovinrc,  declared  Lord  (itey,  \vas  as  yet  too  sm.ill  for  sueh. 
a  digmty.  But  it  was  not  too  small,  thought  Lord  <'/rey,  lo 
pay  the  expenses  of  its  own  Civil  List,  with  the  exception  of 
the  governor's  salary.  This  the  Assembly  agreed  to  do,  du  all 
revenues  being  surrendered  to  its  hands,  amt  on  the  granting  of 
Responsible  Government.  Addresses  and  despatches  passed  to  and 
fro  across  the  water,  and  with  the  examples  of  the  sister  provirues 
before  their  eyes  the  island  Assembly  had  somewhat  the  W.>\  of 
the  argument.  The  Col».-'nial  Office  yi(.'lded  the  ]M)in!  ,  and  the 
session  of  (851  saw  Prince  Edward  Islaiid  under  full  Responsible 
C/Overnment. 

Afierthis,  and  up  to  \\\c  late  of  the  memorable  Charlotleiouii 
Conference,  the  history  of  the  island  chiefly  centres  about  di.- 
The  land  X'^-wCi  question.     In    1854   the   jM'ovincial  government 

question.  purchased,  for  resale  to  setders  on  freehold  leniire, 
the  great  Worrell  est  ue  of  some  eighty-one  thousand  acres.  The 
Land  Purchase  Dill  under  which  this  was  done  \^as  warmly  iip- 
proved  by  the  home  government.  The  Colonial  OffK  e  was  mu(  !i 
troubled  over  the  land  dispute.  It  felt  the  reality  of  die  griev- 
ance, and  wns  yet  bound  in  all  justice  tc/  defend  the  rights  of  the 
landlords,  who  had  come  by  their  estates  in  a  legal  manner.  The 
Assembly  then  proposed  tliat  the  home  government  should 
guarantee  for  the  province  a  kx'in  of  ;;£,'ioo,ooo,  to  be  used  in 
purchasing  the  estates  of  these  al,tsentee  proprietors.  This  pro- 
posal was  at  first  looked  on  favourably,  but  a  litde  later  it  was  met 
by  a  refusal.  Then,  in  1858,  a  royal  commission  was  demanded, 
to  look  into  the  whole  matter  and  arrange  for  its  early  settle- 


l^-\ 


LAmVU    COA/i\nSS/Vx\  A'EFOKT. 


327 


griev- 
(if  the 
The 
sbouUi 
used  in 
his  pro- 
was  met 
manned, 
y  setUe- 


ment.     This  was  agn*c«l  to,  and   in    i860  three  connnissioners 

were   ai»poin!((l,    one    l.iy    the    h()\'it     govoriimeni,    one    by   the 

ijruprietors,    \\v\  one   l>y  ttie  Ass'-rnhlv  on  heh.ilf  of 

.  ■  Conimission- 

the  tenants.       Ihi'   i  oinnnssionor  ciioseii  to  act   for  ers  appointed 
,  1       «,T  ,-.       •         ■       1        . 1      1  ■  '**  settle  it. 

the  tenants  was  the  Nova  Scolian  Icacler,  Mr.  Howe. 

fn  this  same  year  the  estates  of  the   t.irl  Lif  Selkirk  wcic  [lur- 

chased  by  the  province  —  no  less  than  sixty-two  thousand  acres 

being  inagn.minunisly  given  up  by  the  heirs  for  the  t,inall  suuj 

of  i'6586. 

The  commissioners   :^parod    no   pains  over   their  ta.sk.     'I'hey 

traversed  the  i.d.ind  from  ( orner  to  corner,  held  courts  uf  incpiiry 

in  the    villa;;es,   and   brtamhi  landlords  and    tenants 

r  ,,,.     .  .  ■         c,^       ■  Report  01  the 

face  to  face.  I neir  report,  given  in  iS6\,is  a  mas-  commission- 
terly  dociiinent.  It  strongly  rdndeinned  th*;  careless 
method  in  which  t!u:  lands  ot"  the  province  had  been  (uiginally 
granted  away ;  and  it  therefore  held  the  home  government 
mainly  responsible  for  the  evils  of  the  case.  It  recommended,  as 
tiie  only  just  and  satisfar-tory  solution,  the  ;ipplication  of  the  Land 
Purchase  .^ct  (under  wliich  the  Worndl  and  Selkirk  estates  had 
been  already  af.(iuired)  to  all  the  great  absentee  holdings.  And 
it  further  recommended  that  the  home  ivivevnment,  whose  care- 
lessness was  to  blame,  should  guarantee  the  loan  of  ^100,000 
which  the  province  had  asked  for.  It  was  further  recommended 
that  proprietors  holding  more  than  fifteen  thousand  acres  should 
be  obliged  to  sell,  down  to  that  amount,  when  called  upon  to  do 
so  by  their  tenants  ;  and  that  the  terms  of  sale  should  be  thfjse  laid 
down  by  the  conmiissioners,  or  else  such  as  should  be  determined 
by  arbitrators.  It  was  urged,  also,  that  arrears  of  rent  beyond  the 
three  years  immediately  preceding  the  Commission  should  be 
cancelled.  This  report  was  promptly  accepted  by  the  Assembly  ; 
but  the  home  government  refused  to  guarantee  the  loan,  and 
the  proprietors  proposed  another  mode  of  settlement.  This 
caused  deep  indignation  in  the  province  ;  and  the  question  was 
left  an  open  sore.  Delegations  were  sent  to  England  to  argue 
the  matter,  but  in  vain.     It  was  not  till  after  she  entered  Confcd- 


i 


-    ~iAa4g« 


3-2'> 


,1    ///.V77MT    O/-    (•.■LV.I/11. 


a 


i\t 


III 


eration,  ii)il,  as  pjrl  of  a  j^re.it  Dominion,  hfcainc  strong  t'nn\igh 
to  (leinaivl  jiistico  at  tlu-  (  ost  of"  inu<:h  sacnfu  e  of  red  tape,  thai 
llio  ibland  province  saw  her  an<  icnt  ^ricv.in'  <   scitlifl  (  1K75). 

To  Newfoiinijland  the  year  1H41  hronj^ht  a  boon,  in  the  coniinj^ 
of  Sir  Ii)hn  Harvev  to  take  the  office  of  governor.  To  every 
Sir  lohn  provini'c  wliich  he  was  sent  to  govern  Sir  John's  term 

Wjwtound-  "'  "ft*''"''  moant  jieace  anil  advancement.  Under  his 
'""''  mil'  roads  improved,  bridges  were  built,  land  increased 

in  vahie,  settle  in  rit  spread  swiftly.  The  sharp  disputes  between 
the  Up|)('r  and  i.owi-r  House  were  stopi)ed  by  a  miion  of  the  two 
chambiT-,  in  1S42.  'J'his  ".\uial{^aiuated  Assembly"  lasted  till 
1 8.19,  wlien  her  conslitution  was  restored  to  the  jirovinre.  in 
iS^o  J  "),dling  packvi  hid  beiMi  subsidized  to  e.arrv  on  ,1  fort- 
nightly luiil  service  l>ttween  St  joiin's  and  Halifax.  In  i8.|.j  this 
vv.is  changed  to  a  steam  pai:ket.  Hanks  and  commercial  h  )Uses 
|iros[)ered  gre.atly,  and  ihe  harvests  of  the  sea  iiv  rented  uu  less 
than  those  of  the  i]ch]. 

But  in  if^,\(),  as  Sir  John  Harvey  wa.-.  about  leaving,  came  ouc 
of  those  great  ( onllagrations  which  ha\  e  so  cruelly  smitten  tlic 
Thfburninj:  i-^l-i'id  capital.  St.  John's  was  built  (hietly  of  wtxjd, 
of  si.  johir.s.  ,jj^|j  its  houses  much  huddled  together.  When,  on  ilu: 
9th  of  June,  during  a  higli  wind,  the  iire  broke  out  among  these 
buildings,  it  lieked  up  everything  before  it.  The  great  brick  au'i 
stone  warehouses  of  the  merchants  crumbled  intv)  flust.  Tiie 
huge  oil-vats  at  the  water's  edge  poured  their  bla/ing  contents 
into  the  harbour,  jmi  a  n'unber  of  ships  were  burned.  V>v  the 
close  of  that  grievous  day  tfirei  -tburths  of  the  town  liad  viinisliod, 
and  twcl.-e  thousand  jieople  were  honiele.s.-..  Help  llowed  in  gen- 
erously from  England  and  the  si-iter  colonies,  and  the  people  <et 
themselves  liravely  to  the  work  of  rebuilding  their  city.  That 
same  autumn  came  another  stroke  of  ill  fortune,  fn  Scplejnhor 
the  island  was  visited  by  a  frightful  storm,  which  overwhelmed 
shiijs.  fish-stages,  fences,  bridge.-^,  and  houses  along  the  shore. 
These  two  calamities  in  such  swift  succession  left  lasting  marks 
on  the  province. 


,    :   » 


A'j  spo.vsiiiij-:  cor/':A\\'A//..\v  /.v  x/:ir/'0i'.\/)/.i.\7K 


529 


About  this  time  Newtouiidland  l)c^Mn  to  foci  lliat  slu-,  too, 
wantt.'d  tliat  Ki-sponsihii' (Jovernincnt  wiiicli  ijic  oiIut  pr(»viii(('s 
scrnu'il  to  consider  so  iinsjif  ilcahiy  precious.  l!ul  Roaponsibio 
(Ircat  iJriiain  (U'(  l.ircd  sl\i'  was  not  rliic  tor  it.  'llie  [nNew"oun!i- 
fxcitability  of  lu-r  people  w;is  l(K)l<cd  up' in  with  (lis  '*'"'■ 
trust.  The  Cloionial  Oifui'  wished  iier  to  serve  ;i  longer  ap[)ren- 
ticeship,  so  to  speal;.  In  1^54.  however,  tlie  refusal  was  with- 
drawn, and  Newfouiidlaud  took  upon  herM-if  the  full  manage- 
ment of  her  affairs,  with  an  executive  respoUsihU-  to  the  electors. 

After  this  great  step  followed  several  years  of  prosperity.     A  tele- 
graph lini:  was  nm  a(  ross  the  i.il.uid,  and  then  a  submarine  cable 

to  the  mainland,  the  su< cess  of  whicii  led  to  the  laving 

/.   .      /•        .1  .  1     ,•  XT      r         ,1      '.  Confedera- 

down  of  the  first  Athaitu-  cable  Irom  Newfoundland  to   tumdis- 

pyaspfl    in 

Ireland,  in  185S.  .After  this  the  chief  historic  e\ent;.  Nuwfuund- 
up  to  the  year  when  the  other  provinces  confederated, 
were  liie  blooily  riots  which  disgraced  lite  ]Tovincial  cWctiotis. 
In  one  of  these  ric;ts,  which  took  plu c  u;  St.  John's  in  May  of 
i.Sni,  a  niunber  of  persons  were  killed.  'L'heu  came  another 
period  of  deep  tlepression.  An  unwise  system  of  poor  relief  had 
)>een  growing  up  suice  i<S5;5,  atid  had  n  nv  become  so  i)re\'aK'nt 
that  a  third  of  lae  revenues  was  tims  wasted,  and  pauperism 
spread  alarmingly.  .Ai  last,  about  the  time  of  the  f  "h.irlottetown 
conference,  the  go\ernm(nt.  began  to  talk  of  Confederation  as 
the  only  way  out  of  their  difliculties.  But  while  the  gr-.  at  subject 
wa'-  under  discussion  there  came  a  change.  The  lisheries  once 
more  yielded  abundantly,  and  rich  coi>per  mines  were  discovered. 
Al  <;nce  the  curious,  insular  jealousy  of  tlie  ancient  province  spoke 
out  (1869),  and  (lonfederation  was  ru<lely  s[)urned. 

l-'rom  the  furthest  t;aslward  clil'fs  and  vast  green  seas  of  New- 
foundland we  turn  10  the  blossoming  grass- [)lains  of  the  North- 
west. In  the  peace  whicii  had  followed  the  union  ThcNonh- 
of  the  rival  fur-companies,  jiopulation  grew,  though  '^'^^^' 
slowly.  Immigration  was  iliscouragevl.  'I'he  half-breeds,  as  we 
have  seen,  considered  the  land  all  theirs.  The  policy  of  rulers 
and  people  alike  was  to  keep    the  country  one  great    hunting- 


330 


A    lUSTOKy    OF  i.lVADA. 


'    ( 


.  » 


II 


I        / 


ground.  Tlie  fur-irade  was  still  sole  kins,.  The  world  was  taught 
to  believe  that  half  a  continent  of  wheat  lands  and  rich  pasturage 
was  an  Arctic  barren,  fit  only  for  t)eavtMs  and  foxes.  It  was  tii(.' 
same  selfish  and  lying  policy  as  ihat  winch  so  long  strangled  lln' 
growth  of  Newfoundland.  Fi.sh- traders  would  keep  the  i.sland  a 
desert,  fur-traders  w(^uM  keep  the  North-west  a  wil  lerness,  lest 
population  should  interfere  with  their  profits.  Arouiid  the  trad- 
Sir George  ing-posts,  however,  which  the  company's  tireless  gov- 
Simpsou.  ernor.  Sir  George  Simpson,  established  on  every  river, 

lake,  and  bay,  arose  prosperous  little  settlements  ;  and  >lowly  there 
went  abroad  a  report  of  the  fairness  oi  the  land.  In  i'^35,  as  we 
have  seen,  the  Red  River  settlement  was  organized  as  the  District 
of  Assiniboia,  under  control  of  a  President  and  Coimcil.  Sir 
George  Simpson  chose  his  Council,  fifteen  in  number,  from  among 
the  Selkirk  settlers  and  half-breeds,  ']"he  population  was  now 
about  five  thousand. 

Among  Simpson's  feats  of  travel  an^.i  exploration  was  a  journc^y 
westward  to  \'ancouvcr  Island,  northward  through  Alaska,  and 
Vancouver  ♦^hence  through  Siberia  and  northern  ]''urope  to  '  oii- 
isiand.  jJq|.^_     Most  important  to  us  at  this  stage  in  ^ivir  story 

was  his  establishment  of  trading-posts  in  Vancouver  Island  and 
on  the  western  slope  of  the  Rockies.  These  were  the  beginnings 
of  the  youngest  member  of  our  Confederacy,  the  giant  j^rovinci-  of 
British  Columbia.  Sir  George  Simpson  won  knighthood  bv  his 
achievements  in  the  North-west.  He  retired  on  a  pension  ;  nnd 
died  in  i860,  ten  years  before  the  community  whose  growth  he- 
had  watched  and  fostered  came  to  full  manhood  as  the  self- 
governing  province  of  Manitoba. 

The  history  of  the  Pacific  province  may  be  said  to  have  begun 
in  1849,  when  the  Hudson  Pay  Company  made  Victoria,  on  Van- 
couver Island,  the  capital  of  the  western  department  of  its  terri- 
tories. The  first  governor  was  Mr.  Richard  Rlanchard.  Heyrjiid 
the  employes  of  the  company,  Governor  Blanchard  had  but  thirty 
sctders  under  him.  After  two  years  he  gave  up  his  office  in  ilis- 
gust,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  James  Dotiglas.     The  company 


h 


i ' 


'^'FllTY-lOUR   FORTY,    OR    rlGHT 


Zl"^ 


was  expected  to  colonize  the  island,  and  the  governor  was  armed 

with  power  to  :~tart  full  legislative  machinery  as  soon  as  needed. 

The  mainland,  a  sea  of  mountains,  was  at  this  time  called  New 

Caledonia.     Hilerto   its  histijrv  had  been   little  more   than  the 

record   of  visitinj;    mariners,    Si)anisli   and    Knglish  ; 

•  '  to        '    Cold  in 

the   overland  triis  ot  Macken<cie  and  Simpson  ;  and   British 

,  ,.   ,  '        .  ,         ,  ,.  Columbia. 

the  establishment  ot  some  lonely  tr  idmg-posts.     l^.ut 

in  1850  and  1857  dien'  came  a  startling  change,     (iold,'  in  great 

quapi  t/  and  easy  of  a.  cess,  had  been  discovered  in  the  sands  of 

the  !'"ras.'r  and  Thompson  rivers.     The  news  spread  on  the  four 

Winds,  and  the  wild  *  u'ion»  and  wooded  steeps  grew  ali\c  with 

adventurers  and  gold-S'.^ekers  Hocking  in  from  every  land.     Many 

came  from  the  diggini^s  of  California,  where  they  had  well  learned 

the  lesson  of  lawlessness.     .\  strong  hand  was  found  needful  cjn 

the  reins  of  government. 

]t  was  .d)out  this  time  that  the  l)Oundary  ilispute  between  Rrit- 

isii  North  America  and  tlie  United  Slates,  long  ag';  setded  in  the 

east,  grew  acutt;  niT^.;  in  the  west.     'In  understand  \'< 

^  The  question 

we  must  go  back  a  few  vears.      1  iie   vast  region  out  of  bounda- 

rit's . 

of  which  the  province  of  British  Columbia  and  the 
states  ot  Oregon  and  Washington  have  been  farved  was  once 
called  the  Territory  of  Oregon.  In  1826  the  United  States  Com- 
missioners had  agreed  to  a  tlivision  of  this  territory  ;  and  the 
Columbia  River,  whose  navigation  was  to  be  free  t«)  Loth  coun- 
tries, was  by  them  acknowletlged  as  the  boundary,  from  its  mouth 
to  the  49th  parallel.  This  49th  jiarallel  was  the  accepted  boun- 
dary line  across  the  interior  of  tiie  continent.  iUit  the  matter  was 
left  open  ;  and  the  people  of  the  republic,  about  1845.  began  to 
demand  all  thr  territory  in  (ji.estion.  They  claimed  tlie  whole 
coast  up  to  the  southern  boundary  of  Russian  America  (now 
Alcuka),  at  latitude  54°  40'.  The  Ajnerican  cry  was  "  Fifty-four 
Forty,  or  Fight  !  "     They  had  learned  the  wisciorn  of  making  ex- 


'  The  haivt'ot  proved  so  ricti  rluit  during  the  next  twenty  y.Mis  not  iess  tl'.,iri 
^536,000,000  was  exported  from  Briti'jh  tjolumbia. 


•wft^-s 


332 


A    1/ISTOKY   OI'    CAS  AD  A. 


% 


\\ 


m 


III 


travagant  'lemands  where  coloiii.il  possessions  were  concerned. 
They  did  not  get  all  they  asked  ;  but  they  got  uuich  more  than 
they  were  entitled  to,  namely,  the  magnificent  region  of  Pugct 
Sound  and  the  lower  Columbia  valley.  'I'his  waa  yielded  up  by 
the  British  Commissioners  in  i  S46.  when  the  Oregon  Treaty  was 
concluded.  Pjy  this  treaty  the  boundary  line,  instead  of  sweep- 
ing away  south  with  the  Columbi.i.  was  contituicd  due  west  along 
the  49th  parallel  "  to  the  middle  of  the  channel  which  sepa- 
rates the  continent  from  Vancouver  Island,  and  thence  southerly 
through  the  middle  of  the  saitl  channel,  and  of  the  Fuca  Straits, 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

Unfortunately,    however,    this   definition  still   left   uncertainty. 
Through  Fuca  Straits  there  ran  three  important  channels,  divided 

by  large  islands.     The  British  claimed  chat  the  most 
The  quarrel  ^        " 

and  final  southerly  of  these,  called  Rosario  Channel,  was  the  one 

settlement.  -;  '  ' 

intended  by  the  treaty.      1  he  Anv  •  loan  ■.  claimed  that 

the  most  northerly,  or  de  Haro  Channel,  was  meam.  The  British 
Avere  willing  to  couipromise  on  the  middle,  or  Douglas  Channel. 
But  the  Americans  would  not  listen  to  this.  The  adjoining 
territory  of  Washington  tried  to  e.xtend  its  laws  and  cntbrce  its 
authority  over  the  island,  of  San  Juan,  which  lay  between  <le 
Haro  and  Douglas  channels,  and  was  resolutely  claimed  by  the 
British.  In  1854--1856  a  few  Ameri'  an  stpiatters  settled  on  the 
island.  Then  the  situation  grew  critical.  These  people  called 
for  the  protection  of  American  laws.  In  1855  an  American  tax 
collector  seized  and  sold  a  number  of  sheep  belonging  to  the 
Huvlson  Bay  Company,  The  province  of  British  Columbia  was 
now  independent  of  the  cumpany,  but  the  company's  influence 
was  great ;  and  it  took  all  liovernor  Douglas's  prudence  to  hold 
his  people  back  from  reprisals  which  must  have  led  to  war. 
The  I'ttle  island  of  San  Juan  now  lay  under  two  flags, — the 
British  colours  floating  from  the  Hudson  Bay  post,  and  the 
United  States  colours  from  the  flagstaft"  of  the  American  tax  col- 
lector. In  1859  the  dispute  suddenly  grew  so  bitter  that  Great 
Britain    and  the  United  States  hung  on  the  very  verge  of  war. 


BRITISH   COIUMBIA    AXD    V A  SCOW  IK    !<LAND. 


333 


And  cill  this  over  a  pig!  It  chance'!  Ihai  a  i)ig  beloii-ing  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  trespassed  on  some  unenclosed  grounds 
of  one  Lynian  (  utler,  a  squatter  who  claimed  to  be  an  American 
citizen.  Mr.  Cutler  shot  the  pig,  and  scornfully  refused  t(^  pav 
for  it.  This  demanil  for  payment  was  interpreted  as  an  outrage 
on  American  citizens;  and  straightway  (1859)  a  cert  lin  very 
warlike  and  ambitious  General  Harney,  comman<ling  the  United 
States  troops  in  Washington  Territory,  sent  a  force  to  occupy  the 
island  and  adrnmister  United  States  laws.  This  force  was  com- 
niauvlcil  by  another  bellicose  officer,  Captain  Pickett.  The  ])eo-- 
pie  <>\  Victoria  were  eager  for  a  i)rompt  attack  on  the  invaders. 
Ciovernor  Douglas  had  abundant  force  at  his  command  for  the 
purpose ;  and  there  were  several  British  warshq^s  on  the  spot. 
Ikit  the  British  contented  themselves  with  a  forl)earing  policy. 
They  warned  the  Americans  of  their  trespassing,  and  awaited  the 
decision  of  the  government ;  while  Harney  and  Pickett  proudly 
held  on  to  their  conquest.  On  learning  of  this  unwarrantable 
action,  however,  the  American  government  expressed  earnest  regret 
antl  removed  Cieneral  Harney  from  his  command.  Cieneral  Win- 
field  Scott,  who  was  not  new  to  the  office  of  pacifier,  was  sent 
to  San  Juan  Island.  As  in  the  New  Brunswick  and  Maine  diffi- 
culty, Cieneral  h'cott  agreed  to  a  joint  occupation  till  the  matter 
coul'/i  be  settled  by  treaty.  Thus,  in  i860,  the  trouble  was  patched 
up.  It  was  not  finally  disposed  of,  however,  till  twelve  years  later  ; 
when  the  Emj^eror  of  Ciermany,  acting  as  arbitrator,  decided  in 
favour  of  the  .AiU'-'rican  claim,  and  de  Haro  Channel  was  fixed 
ujion  as  the  boundary. 

But  this  dispute  has  carried  us  ahead  of  our  story.     In  1858. 
for  convenience  in  controlling  the  lawless  mining  element  which 
had  just  taken  possession  of  the  mainland,  Vancouver  separation 
Island  and  British  Columbia  were  made  separate  gov-   ofvlncouver 
ernments  ;  and  the  little  mining  town  of  New  West-   BrfHsh^"*^ 
minster,  on  the  Fraser,  became  the  capital  of  the  new   Columbia, 
province.     This    division    proved    unsatisfactory.     Owing   to    the 
large  influx  of  Americans  from  San  Francisco  and  elsewhere,  an 


ii:  I 


>  i^fli 


,334 


A   ///SrOKV  OF  C/LVID.I. 


agitation  in  favour  of  annexation  to  tlic  I'nited  States  bt*gan  to 
show  itself  on  Vancouver  Island.  But  now,  in  the  older  prov- 
inces, the  dream  of  one  United  iJanada  from  Atlantic  to  Pacific 
was  drawing  near  its  splendid  realization.  P)ritish  sympathies,  and 
loyal  sentiments,  and  some  subtle  intluem  es  from  the  movemem 
in  the  cast,  made  themselves  felt  on  tiir  western  shore,  and  the 
idea  of  annexation  dropped  from  view.  The  loss  of  Vancouver 
Island  would  have  been  an  irreparable  loss  to  the  ("an.xda  tii.it 
was  now  to  spring  up.  It  would  have  given  our  western  g.ites 
into  the  hands  of  the  stranger.  The  immediate  result  of  li^e  dis- 
satisfaction was  the  reunion  of  \'ancouvor  Island  with  the  mam- 
land  in  1866:  and  the  two  became  the  j^rovince  of  Hritish 
Columbia,  with  \'ictoria  once  more  the  capital.  This  was  jusi 
when  the  eastern  inovinces  were  preparing  for  that  greater  ron- 
solidation  which  made  memorable  the  year  1867.  Kor  five  years 
more  was  British  Columbia  to  stand  alone  amid  her  mountains. 
before  joining  the  Great  Domuiion  whose  birth  we  art:  to  watch 
in  the  next  chapter. 


I      4 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

SIXTIONS  ;       91,  (Growth  (if  Conkkdkkation  Skntimknts  r\  thk 

CaNAI>AS.       92,    Tllh  CHAKl.OTll.TOVVN    CoNKI'.KKNCi;,  Ql,KHEC  CO.N- 
KERF.NCK,     .\yi)     QlKIU:.'      Kk  SOM  lIoX-.      93.     HoW    TIIK     QCEBf.i 
KkSOLUTIONS     WKKK      Kia  KIVKl).         94.     -J.).\Fi;i)i.KArio\      ACCO.M- 
I'l.lSHEI). 


91.  Growth  of  Confederation  Sentiment  in  the  Canadas.  —  A 
great  idea  may  gradually  impress  itself  on  men's  minds  and 
charm  their  imaginations,  but  they  will,  as  a  rule,  make  small 
effort  to  realize  it,  so  long  as  their  material  needs  are  satisfied. 
When  it.  seems  to  offer  a  way  out  of  some  inconvenience  and 
annoj-ance,  then  it  is  said  to  come  within  ^' the  sphere  of  practi- 
cal politics,"  and  men  stir  themselves  to  .itf^.m  it.  The  idea  of 
Canadian  Confederation  appealed  to  broad  statesmanship,  and 
commanded  a  v.^-,^  popular  respect,  f(»r  some  time  before  it 
actually  touched  the  people  m  the  guise  of  a  remedv  for  exist- 
ing troubles.  As  s-on  as  its  expediency  was  shuwn,  it  descendeil 
into  the  sphere  of  [practical  politic.  Men  grasped  it  eagerly.  It 
became  an  accorap'  shed  fact. 

The  practicai  Deed  of  Confederation  first  and  most  plainlv 
made  itself  ttdt  m  -he  Canadas.  Canada  then  consisted  of  two 
provinces,  eacii  wi;     differing  local  interests  and  tra- 

1-4  ■  1     .  11  1  ,,  T*"?  need  of 

unions,   Imt    -,u  un   ed    that    each  was    ct)rnpelle<l  to   Confedera- 
interfere  m  the  oM  >r's  local  affairs.     Out  of  tiiis  un 
comfoitab'e  intiin;i.'y  Confederation  would  u]jen  a  way.     At  the 
time  of  the  union  ti'e  parliamentary  representation  o{  the  two  prov- 
inceb  had  been  fixed  at  forty-two  nieui!)ers  for  each  ;  !)ut  in  a  few 

335 


53^ 


A  nisroKv  OF  Canada. 


years  immigration  began  to  flow  into  the  upper  province  in  mk h  a 
voltinie  that  in  population  it  far  outstrijiped  its  elder  sister.  \n  less 
than  fifteen  years  after  the  union,  I'pper  '^'anada  had  two  !iundred 
and  fifty  thousand  more  people  than  Ltnver  Canada;  and  loud 
became  her  cry  for  a  larger  representation.  This  the  ['"rench  prov- 
ince would  not  hear  of.  The  French  regarded  ecjiiality  in  repre- 
sentation as  the  safeguard  of  their  speech  and  institutions.  Jn  iS:-? 
tlie  representation  was  increased  for  both  sections,  giving  sixty-two 
members  to  each.  But  immigration  continued  to  favour  the  Lake 
I)rovince,  and  the  disparity  in  poj^ulation  grew  more  and  more 
serious.  "  Rej)resentation  by  Population,"  familiarly  known  as 
•'  Rep.  by  Pop.,"  became  the  rallying  cry  of  Upper  Canada  ;  but 
the  lower  province  set  its  face  obstinately  against  a  change  which 
would  be  sure  to  weaken  her  power.  Parties  were  now  so  eagerly 
divided,  both  in  the  House  and  in  the  country,  that  a  strong 
government  was  hard  to  maintain.  Conservati\es  anl  Reformers, 
or,  as  thev  were  nicknamed,  'lories  and  (irits,  were  so  evenly 
balanced  that  some  small  local  issue  would  prove  sufficient  to 
turn  the  scale,  defeat  the  government,  change  the  hands  on  the 
helm  of  state,  and  disturb  the  country  with  new  elections.  The 
cry  of  Representation  by  Population  was  taken  \\\)  by  the  Reform- 
ers of  the  upper  province,  whose  ranks  then  grew  apace ;  where- 
upon the  l*>ench  party  threw  themselves  into  the  arms  of  the 
Conservatives,  and  the  balance  of  power  was  again  made  equal. 
Ministries  succeeded  each  other  in  undignified  and  ineffectual 
haste  ,  and  while  the  general  |)rosperity  of  liie  country  made  great 
progress,  needful  legislation  was  often  brought  to  a  standstill. 

The  idea  of  a  Confederation  of  all  the   provinces  now  cre[)t 

down  into  the  lobbies,  and  politicians  began  to  think  there  might 

be   something   in    it.     While    talked    of  as   a   broad 

The  Maritime  ^ 

Provinceb  measure  of  statesmanship,  merely,  it  left  the  electors 
indifferent. 

v'jld.     Imagination  is  a  j>lant  of  slow  growth  in  the 

ccmstituencies.     Even  now,  for  a  time,  the  seedling  of  our  great 

ness  was  overshadowed  hy  a  smaller  and  llierefore  more  easily 

comprehended  project ;  namely,  that  of  a  Federal  union  to  be 


THE    FATIIENS   OF  COA'FF.DEKATIO/\r. 


337 


snlc-tituted  tor  the  /,ei^!<ht/i  -e  union  boiween  llppcr  and  Lower 
Canada.  This  plan,  if  it  luid  1)een  carried  out,  would  have  left 
each  of  the  two  provinces  with  a  Parliament  of  its  own  to  roi.duct 
\u  local  and  internal  affair;>,  while  a  central  government  would 
have  been  formed  to  d.Ml  with  such  affairs  a^s  should  affect  both 
jirovinces  in  common.  Meartwhile  the  Maritime  Provinces,  happy 
m  the  successful  ai)plication  of  Responsible  (lovcrnmeiit  and  mak- 
ing rapid  progress  in  wealth  a'.d  population,  weie  'ontent,  and 
therefore  inclined  to  look  askance  at  any  change,  however  bril 
liant  its  prospects.  !5ut  events  were  to  occur  beyond  then-  bor 
ders  which  would  Ireak  down  even  the  indifference  of  content. 

During  this  formative   period,  so  bic^   with  tlte  future  oi  our 
<-ountry,  great  men  were  thrown  to  the  front  \n  ali  the  provinces. 

In  the  Canada-,  arose  such  men  as  Cieoiiie   Brown, 

-  TheFatliers 

lohn   A.  Macdonald,  (George  I'.tienne  Cartier,  ,:\lex     o*  Confedeta- 

ander  'I',  (jalt,  Francis  Hincks.  In  order  to  realise 
that  die  Confederation  of  Canada  was  no  mere  party  measure,  but 
an  act  based  on  ihe  broad  foundation  oi"  the  pc  ()!••'-  sentiment 
and  the  people's  will,  we  have  but  to  remember  liiat  lue  mer.  who 
stand  out  most  prominently  among  the  ••'  l''aihers  o{  Confcdera- 
tio'i  "  were  the  opposing  party  chieftains,  I'.rown  and  Macdonald. 
!  or  the  accomplishment  of  this  iM'oject  the  great  Reformer  and 
'■he.  great  Conservative  worked  together,  in  New  lirunswick  tlie 
chief  mover  to  the  same  noble  end  was  the  Reform  leader,  Mr. 
S.  1  .  Tilley.  In  Nova  Scotia  the  strong  hand  which  brought  the 
■)rovince  into  the  union  was  that  of  the  Conservative  diief,  Doctor 
■Jharles  Tupper.  The  superb  edifice  thus  raised  amid  tlie  har- 
mony of  once  jarring  factions  is  committed  to  the  jealous  keeping 
of  all  Canadians,  without  regard  to  race  ov  creed  or  ])arty.  The 
reason  now  for  the  evisterce  of  opposing  parties  m  Canada  is 
but  the  natural  difterence  of  opinion  as  to  h(jw  this  Confederation 
may  best  be  served,  secured,  adorned,  and  upheld  among  the 
nations. 

It  was  in   1857   that  the  i'arliament  of  the  Canadas  was  first 
brought  face  to  face  with  Cjnfederalion.     Mr.  .A.  T.  (i.ilt,  ;nem- 
z 


I« 


338 


A    J//S7  0h"i     Of  CLWADA. 


\     \ 


btT  for  Sherbrookc  in  the  Kiistern  Townships,  moved  the  (  on- 

sideration  of  iht'  subject  in  nn  able  sptech  which,  though  at  the 

,    time  it  seemed  to  ;'ain  slight  ntu.ntion,  nevertheless 
Succession  of  ri  >..  >  i*.-!^ 

ministries  in    struck  root  in  the  minds  ot"  his  hearers.     At  this  tune 
the  Parlia- 
ment of  the       the  government   wis  carried   on   under  a  system   of 
Canadas.  .1  •   . 

double  lea(k'rshi]j.      Whu-hever  party  was  in  power, 

each  province  insisted  on  contributin:?  a  premier,  so  that  the 
ministry  had  to  be  a  sort  of  two-headed  mon-ter.  Governments 
were  named  from  the  two  chiefs,  —  as  the  MacNab-Morin  govern- 
ment, the  naldvvin-I,afontaine,  the  Cartier-Macdonald,  the  Brow!).- 
Dorion  administration.  Tn  the  yt';ir  following  Cl-ilt's  trumpet 
blast,  came  u])  the  strife  of  local  interests  over  the  removal  of 
the  capital  to  Ottawa  (1858).  The  Cartier-Macdonald  govern- 
ment, which  supported  the  Queen's  recoinniend.ition  in  regard  to 
Ottawa,  was  defeated.  A  new  election  brought  the  Reformers 
into  power  by  a  scant  majority,  and  the  lUown- Dorion  ministry 
took  the  reins  of  governm(!nt.  But  maj..iritie3  at  this  time  were 
as  shifting  as  the  sands  of  the  sea,  and  the  Reformers  met  defeat 
without  delay.  The  Conservatives  again  took  office,  but  with  a 
majority  so  slender  and  unreliable  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  ahead  but  speedy  wre  :.k.  It  was  clear  that  a  new  and  bold 
lX")licy  was  needed.  Gait  was  taken  into  the  ministry,  and  Con- 
federation was  announced  as  the  government  platform,  'i'he 
strength  of  the  platform  was  seen  at  once.  —  but  the  Colonial 
Office  was  at  this  time  not  alive  to  the  imperial  spirit,  and  turned 
a  cold  shoulder  to  the  scheme.  The  Maritime  Provinces  were 
coquetting  with  the  idea  of  a  Maritime  union  among  themselves, 
and  would  not  give  the  subjec  t  even  a  hearing.  The  (.'artier-Mac- 
donaki  government  was  forced  to  seek  another  platform. 

Gut  now  these  ten  years  of  alnmdant  i)rosperity  were  <irawing 
The  Victoria  t^<-^  '^^  close.  Bad  harvests,  joined  with  agricultinal 
by'the  Prince'  depression,  made  all  the  provinces  restless  and  reaily 
01  Wales.  Ij-jj.  J,  rliange.  At  the  same  time  stirring  events 
turned  the  ci.irrents  of  provincial  feeling  tow.trd  loyalty  and  union. 
'I'he    completion    of   a    great    national    enterprise,    the    Victoria 


1  ■■ 


AME/^ICAX   Civil.    WAR. 


339 


Bridge  of  the  (irand  Trunk  Railway  at  Montreal,  which  was 
hailed  then  as  one  of  the  world's  w^ondcrs,  excited  a  family 
pritie  in  the  sister  provirb  es.  To  celebrate  with  diit-  ceremony 
the  opening  of  this  great  work,  and  to  lay  the  corner-stone  of  tiie 
new  J\arliament  Huildings  a^  Ottawa,  the  Prince  of  Wales  came 
out  to  the  provinces  and  was  everywhere  received  with  an  out- 
burst of  loyal  affection.  His  coming  was  most  timely.  It  served 
as  tangible  evidence  to  the  colonies  of  their  importance  to  the 
Crown.  In  the  following  year  events  across  the  border  spoke 
yet  more  loudly  for  union.  There  liad  been  unstable  spirits  in 
the  colonies,  whcse  leanings  were  towartl  annexation  with  the 
American  Republic.  But  when,  in  1861,  the  War  of  Secession 
broke  out,  and  North  and  South  took  each  other  by  the  throat, 
then  annexation  ceased  to  look  enticing. 

There  had  long  been  a  tempest  brewing  in  the  Re[)ublic.  The 
Northern  cry  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  but  one  phase  ot  the 
trouble.     The  real  point   at   issue  was  that  between 

ThfAmeiican 

the  mdividual  states  and  the  central  government.    Did   warofSeces- 

aion. 
the  sovereign  power  lie  in  the  states  or  in  the  Union  i* 

In  the  South,  the  group  of  slave- holding  states,  it  was  generally 

held  to  lie  in  the  states  themselves.     In  the  North  it  was  held 

to  r°  in  the  Union  ;  and  Northern  sentiment,  favouring  abolition, 

and  ,jroc. aiming  the  final  suiiremacv  of  the   Federal  government, 

seemed  to  threaten  the  constitutional  right';  of  slave-holding  states 

to  control  their  own  ;i!Tairs.     When.  'w\   1S60,  the  States- Rights 

doctrine  was  defeated  in  the  Presidential  election,  and    .braham 

Lincoln,  a  pronotmceil  abolitionist,  was  elected  to  the  otiice  of 

Presiilent,  the  storm  broke  out.     The  States-R.ights  party  held  that 

any  state  had  a  right  to  quit  the  Union  when  it  would,  —  and  m 

December  South  Carolina,  actnig  on  this  principle,  seceded.     In 

the  next  few  months  her  exam])le  was  followed  by  other  Southern 

members  of  the  Union,  till  the  seceders  numbered  eleven  stales, 

with  a  population  of  about  nine  millions.     These  states  formed  a 

new  Confederacy,  with  its   capital  at   Richmond,   Virginia,   and 

with  Jefferson  Davis  as  President.     The  war  began  early  in  1861. 


\l 


340 


//   I/JSrOKV    Oi-    CAA.UJ.l. 


II 


The  Northern  states  were  all  l^'edt  r.alist.  They  bent  their  ener- 
gies to  the  restoration  of  tiit  I  iiion,  the  overthrow  of  the  doctrine 
of  state  sovereignty,  and  the  estfiblishrncnt  of  the  ()riiu-iplt.'  th;it  the 
supreme  powor  rested  in  the  central  go\t'rninent.  (--eat  liritiii' 
onlered  all  her  subjects  to  nuuntain  a  strict  n».  /•  ility.  This 
aroused  tierce  iniiignation  in  liie  North.  It  was  .ouked  upon  as 
a  practical  recognition  of  the  South  as  a  belligerent  powei.  In 
Northern  eyts  the  Southern  (Confederacy  was  not  an  inde|)endt!it 
l)ower.  to  be  recognized  by  other  powers,  but  a  mere  bandmg 
together  of  rv!>els.  As  such,  said  the  .Vorth,  it  was  to  be  chas- 
tised by  the  central  government,  and  ignored  by  outside  powers. 
Th'j  anger  oi  the  North  was  still  further  exr:ited  I)y  the  fact  that 
Kngland  set  aied  in  sympathy  with  the  seceders.  British  vessel.-, 
were  very  active  in  rimning  the  blockade  of  Southern  ports  ;  and 
British  harbours  were  much  used  by  Southern  cruisers.  The 
truth  of  the  matter  was  that,  while  the  British  government  niul 
probably  the  masses  of  the  British  people  desired  the  Nortli  to 
win,  there  were  many  who  could  not  but  see  a  poetic  justice  in 
this  rt:l)eliion.  The  South  was  but  urging  the  claim  on  which  the 
Thirteen  Colonies  had  so  rudely  insisted  in  1776.  The  sons  of 
loyalists  were  inclined  to  ask  why,  if  the  Thirteen  Colonies  might 
secede  from  their  motherland,  might  not  the  eleven  Southern 
states  st'cede  from  the  Union?  In  some  parts  of  British  North 
America,  particularly  in  Halifax,  the  feeling  of  sympathy  for 
the  South  was  frank  and  strong.  But,  on  tlie  other  hand,  from 
the  upper  provinces  went  many  sons  of  Canada  to  tiglit  in  the 
Northern  ranks. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  war  the  colonies  were  awakened  to  a 
sense  of  their  own  weakness.  Troul)]e  arose  between  Great  Brit- 
ain and  America,  and  it  looked  as  if  there  would  he 
an  appeal  to  the  sword.  It  came  about  in  this  wav. 
The  Confederacy  was  sending  two  cummissioners.  Mason  an! 
Slidell,  to  England,  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  South,  and  to  seek 
recognition  of  their  country  as  a  belligerent  power.  They  took 
passage  on  the  British  uiail-steamship  I'-ent.     On  November  8th 


The  Trent 
affair. 


■  ( 


CO  A  I./ no  !V. 


341 


the  American  iiviii-oi'-war  San  JaciiUo,  commanded  by  ('aptam 
Wilkes,  stopped  thfj  Trent  on  the  open  seas,  boarded  her,  and 
arrested  the  two  Sc»uthern  commissioners.  Over  this  grave  breach 
of  the  Law  of  Nations  tlie  North  was  mucli  elated,  and  ("a|>tam 
Wilkes  becanie  a  popular  hero.  Hut  (Irejl  Britain  was  indignant. 
She  demanded  that  the  distinguished  captives  should  be  instantly 
given  up.  Slie  threatened  war  if  there  was  any  delay.  She  began 
pouring  troops  into  Halifax.  Hut  meanwhile  the  American  go\- 
en>ment  came  to  its  senses  ;  and  Mason  anil  Slidell  were  cputirly 
given  up.  This  was  due  to  Lincoln's  firm  wisdom.  The  iroups, 
landing  in  Canada,  found  dances  and  fair  dames  instead  of  battles 
awaiting  them.  The  danger  was  passed  ;  but  it  had  opened  the 
eye.-i  oi  men  to  the  need  of  putting  Canaila  in  a  position  of 
defence.  The  British  government  made  large  expenditure^  on 
provincial  fortifications,  and  militia  bills  of  importance  were  iirc>,si"d 
tinough  certain  of  the  Provincial  Parliaments.  At  the  same  time 
the  ilealh  of  i'rince  Albert  and  the  mourning  of  the  Queen  created 
a  wave  of  sympatlietic  loyalty  (t86i).  Hut  in  the  two  Canadas, 
though  the  |>eople  were  full  of  patriotic  zeal,  the  even  balance 
and  eager  strife  of  parties  prevented  the  passing  of  the  militia 
bills.  Reform  governments  and  'Conservative  governments  suc- 
ceeded each  other  on  mof^t  trivial  groimds  of  difference.  Party 
passions  seemed  la  rule  the  hour.  Stable  government  was  a 
thing  forgotten.  And  lOngland  was  righteously  disfileased  at  the 
defeat  of  the  Mihtia  Hill. 

At  this  crisis  the  great  Reformer,  (leorge  Brown,  came  to  the 
rescue.     He   proposed  a  coalition  between  the  parties,  and  the 
formation  of  a  new  ministry.     The  offer  was  accepted,  coalition  lu 
and  the  noise  of  political  wrangling  sank  to   peace  thecanadas. 
(1864).      I'l'iP  administration'  set  itself  to  prepare  a  scheme  of 
Federation  which  should  provide  for  the  admission  of  the  other 


1  In  this  illustrious  ministry  we  find  the  nimfs  of  John  A.  Macdonalii,  (jcor^ce 
ft.  Carticr,  (jeorgo  Brown,  Oliver  Mow.it,  Sir  filnmnc  'I'ach/;,  A.  T.  Gah,  D'.\rcy 
McGee,  William  McDouga!;,  Hector  Liiigevin,  J.  L.  Ciiapais,  James  Co'jkburn, 
and  Alexaiuler  Campbell. 


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342 


A    /lis TORY  OF  CANADA. 


H 


■■  ( 


i> 


,1 


provinces  whenever  it  should  suit  them  to  come  in.  A  Confedera- 
tion of  the  whole  was  in  their  hearts,  and  they  were  debating  as 
to  whether  the  time  was  ripe  for  approaching  the  Maritime  Prov- 
inces with  the  scheme,  when  an  event  which  took  place  in  Prince 
Edward  Island  decided  them.  A  Federal  union,  not  of  the  two 
Canadas  alone  but  of  all  the  provinces  of  British  North  America, 
became  the  immediate  object  of  their  efforts. 

Q2.  The    Charlottetown    Conference,   Quebec    Conference,   and 
Quebec    Resolutions.  —  The  event    so    fraught  with  destiny  to 

Canada  was  the  Charlottetown  Conference,  which  met 
The  scheme 
of  Maritime      on  the  first  dav  of  Se])tember,  1864.     This  Confer- 

ence,  curiously  enough,  was  the  outcome  of  action 
taken  three  years  before  by  Howe,  who  was  presently  to  contra- 
dict himself  by  becoming  the  great  opponent  of  (Confederation. 
As  far  back  as  1854,  he  had  outdone  the  Conservative  leader, 
Johnstone,  in  eloquent  support  of  the  union  project.  In  1861,  as 
leader  of  the  Nova  Scotia  government,  he  had  brought  in  and 
carried  unanimously  a  resolution  favouring  Confederation.  This 
idea  changed  soon  to  what  seemed  the  nearer  and  more  practical 
one  of  a  legislative  union  between  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick, 
and  Prince  Edward  Island.  The  scheme  of  welding  these  three 
into  one  wide  and  influential  province  proved  attractive  to  the 
people,  and  for  a  time  "  Maritime  Union,"  as  it  was  called, 
eclipsed  the  more  magnificent  but  remoter  scheme  of  Confedera- 
tion. 

Delegates  from  the  three  provinces  were  appointed  to  meet  at 
Charlottetown  and  discuss  Maritime  Union.  Each  province  sent 
five  delegates.  Nova  Scotia's  delegation  was  chiefly 
Conservative,  a  Conservative  government  then  being 
in  power,  and  it  was  led  by  Howe's  indomitable  rival, 
Doctor  Tupper ;  but  om."  of  its  members  was  a  distinguished 
Reformer,  Adams  G.  Archibald.  New  Brunswick's  was  a  Relorm 
delegation,  its  chief  being  the  Hon.  S.  L.  Tilley,  leader  of  the 
New  Brunswick  government.  The  delegation  from  Prince  Edward 
Island  consisted  of  the  leading  members  of  the  provincial  govern- 


The  Char- 
lottetown 
Conference 


1  ) 


THE   CHARLOTTETOWN  CONFERENCE. 


343 


ment,  which  had  carried  important  reforms  in  the  island  province. 
It  was  led  by  the  premier,  Colonel  Gray.  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
that  this  conference  was  not  an  affair  of  party,  but  of  patriotism. 
Where  the  island  capital  sits  secure  at  the  head  of  her  simny  and 
windless  haven,  the  delegates  met.  The  wide  streets,  prosperous 
dwellings,  and  green  luxurious  gardens  of  Charlottetown,  j^er- 
petual  reminder  of  her  old  name,  Port  La  Joie,  formed  a  fitting 
environment  for  the  counsels  of  unity  and  peace  which  were 
destined  there  to  prevail.  The  delegates  met,  as  we  have  seen, 
to  discuss  Maritime  Union.  But  meanwhile  the  co:ilition  gov- 
ernment of  the  two  Canadas,  standing  on  tlie  high  platform  of 
Confederation,  had  heard  of  the  conference,  and  asked  leave  to 
be  present  at  it.  Assured  of  a  welcome,  six  of  the  chief  minis- 
ters of  Canada  set  out  in  the  government  steamer  V^ictoria  for 
('harlottetown.  These  pioneers  of  destiny  were  of  diverse  party, 
creed,  and  race.  There  were  the  old  rivals,  now  aUied  to  so  great 
an  end,  George  Brown  and  John  A.  Macdonahi.  There  were 
George  IiLtienne  Cartier,  the  French  Catholic  ;  A.  T.  Gait,  the 
English  Protestant  of  the  Eastern  Townships  ;  William  McDougall, 
the  Scotch  Protestant ;  D'Arcy  McGee,  the  Irish  Catholic. 
When  these  delegates  met  the  conference,  in  the  opening  days 
of  that  month  which  is  loveliest  in  the  Garden  of  the  Gulf 
(September  i,  1864),  the  enthusiasm  and  faith  with  which  they 
advocated  their  cause  worked  a  speedy  result.  Before  the  plan 
of  Confederation,  now  nresented  so  nearly  and  clearly  that  there 
was  no  shutting  one's  eyes  to  its  brilliance,  the  lesser  plan  of 
Maritiuit'  Union  paled  into  extinction.  But  the  Maritime  dele- 
gates had  been  sent  to  discuss  only  Maritime  Union.  Nothing 
could  be  done,  therefore,  but  weigh  interests,  strengthen  sympa- 
thies, cultivate  mutnal  trust  and  esteem.  It  was  resolved  to  hold 
another  conference  at  once,  to  consider  terms  of  Confederation. 
< Quebec  was  appointed  the  place  of  meeting,  and  the  Charlotte- 
town  Conference  dissolved.  The  island  capital,  therefore,  may 
justly  claim  to  be  called  the  c  radle  of  our  union.  .       ■' 

From  Charlottetown  the  Canadian  delegates  made  a  rapid  tour 


344 


A   ///STORY   OF  CANADA. 


!'< 


I 

'! 

i 

of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  stirring  public  interest  by 
their  speeches,  warming  public  sentiment  by  their  enthusiasm. 
Everywhere  they  were  welcomed,  and  feted,  and  cheered  forward 
in  their  purpose.  On  their  return  to  Ottawa  arrangement  was  made 
for  the  new  conference.  On  October  loth,  the  men  who  were  to 
give  form  and  substance  to  the  aspirations  of  our  people,  who  were 
to  fashion  ri  nation  out  of  our  scattered  colonies,  came  together  in 
that  ancient  capital  which  has  so  long  guarded  our  gates. 

I'he  (Quebec  Conference  met  on  October  loth.  It  must  be 
counted  one  of  the  chief  events  in  our  history.  The  date,  the 
I'he  Quebec  far-reaching  results,  the  names  of  those  who  took 
Conference.  ^^^^  -j^  |j^  should  be  written  on  Canadian  hearts  in 
letters  of  gold.  Its  vast  significance  will  impress  us  more  and 
more  as  we  recede  from  it,  and  as  its  effect  upon  the  history  of 
the  world  begins  to  show.  The  delegates  numbered  thirty-three  ; 
and  their  names  cannot  be  written  in  a  footnote.  From  the 
Canadas  came  Sir  Etienne  P.  Tachd,  John  A.  Macdonald,  George 
Brovyn,  William  McP9Ugall,  George  E.  Cartier,  Alexander  T. 
Gait,  Oliver  Mpwat,  Hector  Langevin,  T.  D'Arcy  McGee,  A. 
Caijipbell,  J.  C.  Chapais.  J.  Cockburn.  From  Nova  Scotia  came 
Charles  Tupper,  Adams  G.  Archibald,  W.  A.  Henry,  R.  B.  Dickie, 
and  J.  McCully.  New  Ikunswick  sent  Samuel  Leonard  Tilley, 
John  M.  Johnson,  Peter  Mitchell,  Edward  Chandler,  Charles  Fisher, 
Judge  J.  H.  Gray,  W.  H,  Steeves.  Prince  FMward  Island  sent 
Colonel  John  H.imilton  Oay,  E.  Palmer,  T.  H.  Haviland,  W.  H. 
Pope,  G.  Coles,  E.  Whelan,  and  A.  A.  Macdonald.  From  New- 
foundland canu-  F.  B.  S.  (barter  and  Ambrose  Shea.  Though  some 
of  the  provinces  were  thus  more  largely  represented  than  others, 
this  made  no  difference  in  the  voting,  which  was  carried  on  by 
provinces.  Eacli  delegation  had  one  vote,  and  the  provinces 
were  thus  on  a  footing  of  perfect  equality.  The  meetings  of  the 
conference  were  held  in  the  Parliament  House,  built  over  the  ruins 
of  the  old  Chateau  St.  Louis.  There  shone  forth  the  broad  sa- 
gacity and  tireless  tact  of  Macdonald,  the  shaping  force  of  Tupper, 
the  Scottish  fire  and  pertinacity  of  Brown,  the  eloquence  of  Cartier 


■■■n  P' ' } 


THE    QUEBEC  RESOLUTIONS. 


345 


and  McGee.     The  deliberations  lasted  eighteen  days,  and  resulted 

in  the  adoption   of  Seventy-two  Resolutions.    These   famous 

Resolutions,  with  some  changes,  form  the  basis  of  the  British 

North   America   Act,   which   is   Canada's   constitution.      Their 

great  work  done,  the  delegates  made  a  tour  through  Upper  and 

Lower  Canada,  ineeiing  fervent  welcome  on  all  sides. 

93.    How  the  Quebec  Resolutions  were  received.  —  A  grave 

task  now  awaited  the   Fathers  of  Confederation.     This  was  to 

secure  the  acceptance  of  the  Quebec  Resolutions,  by 

the  provinces  concerned  and   by  the  home  govern-   ofthediifer- 
„        ,  ■,,*"*  provinces 

ment.      J  he   home   government   met  them  with  the  to  the  Quebec 

Resolutions, 
warmest  tavour  ana  expressed  its  strong  wish  that  the 

scheme  should  be  accepted  by  the  provinces.  But  the  provinces 
were  much  divided  on  the  subject.  Newfoundland  positively  re- 
jected the  whole  scheme,  and  has  not  hitherto  seen  fit  to  reverse 
her  decision.  Prince  Edward  Island  rejected  it,  only  to  accept  it 
a  few  years  later  when  its  success  had  been  ])roved.  Nova  Scotia 
and  New  Brunswick  hesitated.  The  Canadas  accepted  with  in- 
stant zeal.  There  were  reasons  for  this  difit-rence.  Beside  the 
Great  Lakes  and  along  the  St.  I^wrence  valley  the  subject  had  for 
some  time  been  in  the  mouths  of  the  people.  It  had  been 
thoroughly  threshed  out.  It  was  seen  to  be  the  simplest  way  out 
of  some  pressing  evils.  In  February  of  1 865  the  Quebec  Resolu- 
tions were  brought  before  the  Legislature,  and,  after  prolonged 
debate,  were  carried  by  an  overwhelming  majority.  At  the  close 
of  the  session  Messrs.  Macdonald,  Brown,  Cartier,  and  Gait  went 
to  England  to  confer  with  the  home  government. 

But  in  New  Brunswick  the  scheme  now  met  with  a  rude  set- 
back.    In  March  of  the  same  year  was  held  a  general  election, 

and  the  scheme  of  Confederation  was  put  before  the  „^  „     . 

^  The  Resolu- 

people  at  the  polls.     It  was  so  mixed  up,  however,  tionsinNew 
'       ^  ^  I  »  >    Brunswick 

with  other  and  local  questions  that  the  party  support-  and»ova 
ing  it  was  beaten.     An  Anti-Confederate  government, 
under  the  leadership  of  Albert  J.  Smith,  came  into  power.     New 
Brunswick  having  thus  spoken  against  the   scheme,  the  Nova 


it 


i; 


346 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


']     : 


1 

1 

1 

■I 

1    ..                ' 

i 

\  . 


I'l 


Scoiia  government  was  discouraged,  and  the  question  was  not 
brought  forward  in  the  Legislature.  But  meanwhile  the  people 
of  New  Brunswick  had  been  reconsidering ;  and  the  more  they 
thought  of  it  the  more  friendly  they  became  to  it.  The  attitude 
of  the  Americans  was  making  plain  the  need  of  strength  and  union 
in  the  colonies.  The  urgent  desire  of  the  home  government, 
too,  was  not  without  effect.  Seeing  this  change  in  public  feeling, 
the  Legislative  Council  of  New  Brunswick  passed  a  resolution  in 
favour  of  Confederation.  This  resolution  was  accepted  by  Gov- 
ernor (Gordon  in  a  strong  address.  The  words  of  the  governor 
being  directly  contrary  to  the  advice  of  his  ministers,  the  minis- 
ters resigned.  Mr.  Tilley  and  other  Confederation  leaders  were 
then  called  to  form  a  new  government.  Another  general  election 
was  held,  and  the  And-Confederate  party  was  overwhelmed 
(1S66).  The  change  of  feeling  in  New  Brunswick  brought  im- 
mediate action  in  Nova  Scotia.  Doctor  Tupper,  leader  of  the 
government,  brought  up  in  the  Legislature  a  resolution  in  support 
of  Confederation.  It  was  carried  by  a  heavy  majority,  but  only 
on  the  understanding  that  the  plan  should  be  changed  to  secure 
better  terms  for  the  Maritime  Provinces.  Tnis  action  of  the 
government,  in  committing  the  province  to  Confederation  with- 
out giving  the  people  a  chance  to  vote  upon  it,  made  the  people 
indignant.  It  was  felt  that  in  a  case  of  such  vast  importance 
a  general  election  should  have  been  held,  to  gi\e  the  electors  a 
chance  to  say  what  they  wanted.  Thus  the  seeds  of  future  dis- 
content were  sown  on  good  ground,  where  they  afterwards  sprang 
up  and  bore  fruit  in  agitations  for  Repeal.  The  anger  of  the 
people  directed  iiself  against  the  way  in  which  Confederation  was 
carried.  But  in  the  fierce  heat  of  party  conflict  ih'n  feeling  be- 
came distorted,  till  it  took  for  a  time  the  shape  of  hostility  to  the 
\  measure  itself. 

In  the  same  year  in  which  the  Nova  Scotia  Legislature  ac- 
cepted Confederation,  the  project  was  brought  before  the  Legis- 
lature of  Newlbundland  in  the  governor's  speech.  The  address 
of  the  House  in  reply  confessed  that  the  advantages  of  Confed- 


AMERICAN  JIOSTll ITY. 


347 


eration  were  "so  obvious  as  to  be  almost  necessarily  acknowl- 
edged." At  the  same  time  it  declared  that  a;  far  as  Newfound- 
land in  particular  was  concerned,  the  desirabihty  of 

Rejected  in 

the  measure  was  doubtful.     A  little  later  the  whole  Pnnce Ed- 
ward Island 
project  was  laid  on  the  shelf.     Prmce  I'ldwaid  Kland,   andWew- 
^  foundland. 

through  her  Legislature,  was  more  eiuphatii.    m   her 

rejection  of  the  scheme ;  but  not  long  afterwards,  as  we  shall  see, 

she  opened  her  ears  to  the  charming  ot  her  Confederate  sisters 

and  suffered  herself  to  be  led  into  the  uuiou. 

When  these  four  provinces  of  Upper  and  i.c  ver  Canada,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick  had  decided  for  Confederation,  they 
sent  delegates  to  England  to  get  an  Act  of  Union  thr(jugh  the 
Imperial  Parliament.  But  the  Opposition  in  Nova  Scotia  had 
found  a  leader,  strange  to  say,  in  Howe,  who  went  to  I-oiulon  to 
argue  against  the  act.  The  great  orator  put  forth  his  utmost 
eloquence,  his  most  appealing  arguments;  but  his  ancient  an- 
tagonist, Tupper,  overmastered  him.  The  keen  weapons  of  his 
own  logic  and  wit  were  used  against  him.  The  Imperial  govern- 
ment was  against  him.  The  protest  of  Nova  Scotia  w^as  passed 
over,  and  Parliament  went  on  to  frame  the  Act  of  Confederation. 

94.  Confederation  accomplished.  —  In  these  years  of  destiny, 
1864,  '65,  '66,  and  '67,  while  the  Dominion  was  struggling  to  its 

birth,  there  were  forces  acting  outside  to  give  it  un- 

.  °  *^  Hostility  of 

wilhng  aid.     The   Northern   states  grew   more   and  theAmen- 

cans, 
more  hostile.  In  the  American  Civil  War  the  prov- 
inces had  remained  strictly  neutral ;  but  Canada  was  naturally  a 
refuge  for  Southern  sympathizers  who  had  fled  out  of  the  North- 
ern states.  A  lawless  band  of  these  refugees,  gathering  on  the 
St.  Lawrence  frontier,  made  a  raid  across  the  bonier  into  Ver- 
mont and  ])lundered  the  town  of  St.  Albans,  Fierce  was  the 
indignation  of  the  Northerners ;  and  their  own  exploits  of  u  like 
kind  during  the  Papineau  and  Mackenzie  rebellions  were  con- 
veniently forgotten.  To  prevent  a  repetition  of  such  outrages, 
the  Canadian  government  called  out  a  force  of  mili'ia  to  patrol 
the  borders.     About  this  time  the  American  government  gave  the 


348 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


t-  1 


provinces  notict;  of  its  intention  to  terminate  the  Reciprocity 
Treaty  (1864).  Seeing  the  hour  at  hand  of  their  triumph  over 
the  South,  the  Americans  felt  ready  to  vent  their  wrath  against 
England.  So  long  as  the  colonies  chose  to  remain  British,  thty 
should  be  made  to  feel  the  weight  of  America's  displeasure.  At 
the  same  time,  it  was  expected  that  for  the  sake  of  America's  trade 
they  would  consent  to  annexation.  The  withdrawal  of  the  Reci- 
procity Treaty  was  intended  to  show  the  provinces  what  thi.'y 
would  lose  by  remaining  loyal,  what  they  would  gain  by  deserting 
their  allegiance.  In  the  hope  of  heading  off  Confederation, 
Congress  even  passed  a  bill  providing  for  the  admission  of  the 
provinces,  on  most  favourable  tennn,  as  four  new  states  of  tlie 
American  Union.  Foreign  bribes  proved  no  more  effective  than 
foreign  threats.  They  only  drew  the  provinces  together.  An 
earnest  effort,  however,  was  made  to  prevent  the  abrogation  of 
the  treaty.  To  this  end  a  trade  convention  was  held  at  Detroit, 
where  delegates  from  the  chief  Provincial  and  American  cities 
met  and  talked  over  the  situation.  Howe's  eloquence  took  the 
gathering  by  storm,  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  if  Reciprocity 
might  gain  a  new  lease  of  life.  But  Howe'.s  influence  failed  to 
reach  the  American  government.  A  continuance  of  the  treaty 
was  offered,  indeed,  but  on  such  terms  as  the  provinces  couM  not 
accept  without  humiliation,  and  in  1865  it  came  to  an  end.  The 
provinces  were  thus  driven  to  look  toward  each  other  and  toward 
Europe  for  new  avenues  of  trade  ;  and  the  cause  of  Confederation 
was  immensely  strengthened. 

As  soon  as  the  war  between  North  and  South  was  ended,  and 
the  seceding  states  crushed,  the  Americans  began  to  press  Eng- 
land for  damages  on  account  of  the  injury  done  to 
American  commerce  by  the  Alabama  and  other 
Southern  cruisers.  This  claim  was  made  on  the  plea 
that  the  cruisers  had  been  fitted  out  in  British  ports.  On  a 
like  plea  Canada  might  have  demanded  damages  for  American 
breaches  of  neutrality  during  the  troubles  of  1837-183S.  Great 
Britain  denied  having  countenanced  the  fitting  and  arming  of 


The 

•"  Alnhatna 
Claims." 


I  \ 


THE   I'EA'IAN  INVASIONS. 


349 


The  Fenians. 


Southern  cruisers.  She  therefore  resisted  the  American  demands  ; 
and  for  some  years  the  ''Alahama  Claims,"  as  they  were  called, 
remained  a  sore  (lucstion,  which  might  at  any  time  lead  to  war. 
This  threat,  also,  worked  strongly  for  Confederation. 

But  Canada  found  yet  another  enemy  to  thrust  her  on  to  great- 
ness. In  America  there  was  a  strong  organization  known  as  the 
Fenian  Brotherhood.  It  was  started  in  the  first  place 
by  hot-headed  Irish  patriots  who  dreamed  of  reveng- 
ing upon  the  hated  Sassenach  the  wrongs  which  their  country  had 
endured.  At  the  close  of  the  War  of  Secession  a  host  of  despera- 
does, too  lawless  to  settle  down  to  the  tasks  of  peace,  were  let 
loose  upon  the  country.  These  flocked  into  the  ranks  of  the 
Fenian  Brotherhood,  and  proposed  to  conquer  Canada  as  a  first 
step  toward  freeing  Ireland.  To  conquer  Canada  seemed  so  easy, 
that  the  Fenian  leaders,  in  anticipation,  parcelled  out  our  choicest 
lands  among  themselves.  On  St.  Patrick's  Day  of  i866  the  Fenian 
invasion  was  looked  for,  and  the  Canadian  militia  stood  in  arms 
along  the  border.  But  the  weather  was  bad,  and  the  invasion 
was  therefore  postponed.  In  the  following  month  these  ruffians 
threatened  the  New  Brunswick  borders,  and  troops  were  marched 
to  the  defence  of  St.  Andrews  and  St.  Stephens.  The  danger 
melted  away  ;  but  it  meant  many  votes  for  Confederation. 

At  the  same  time,  under  the  very  noses   of  the  American 

authorities,  and  while  all  America  was  in  virtuous  wrath  over  the 

Alabama  dispute,  the   Fenians  were  drilling   and  arming   their 

regiments  in  the  American  border  towns.     From  Sault  Ste.  Marie 

to  the  Gulf,  a  wave  of  indignation  at  such  inconsistency  ^     ,     ^^^ 
'  "  ^    Repulse  of  the 

swept  over  the  British  provinces.    At  the  end  of  May  Feman  inva- 

^  sions. 

a  band  of  nine  hundred  Fenians,  under  one  Colonel 
O'Neil,  crossed  from  Buffalo  to  Fort  Erie  and  advanced  to  destroy 
the  Welland  Canal.  At  the  village  of  Ridgeway  they  were  met  by 
a  detachment  of  Canadian  militia.  The  ground  was  one  where  of 
old  the  militia  of  Canada  had  many  times  rushed  to  victory  against 
great  odds.  But  on  this  occasion  our  soldiers  added  small  lustre 
to  their  laurels.     After  a  two  hours'  skirmish  thev  retreated  in- 


S^ 


350 


,1   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


1 

i 

* 
i 

n 

i 

I 

it 

1 

i 

Hl^^ 

J 

gloriously,  leaving  the  Fenians  masters  of  the  field.  The  victors, 
however,  hearing  of  the  approach  of  some  British  regulars,  fled  in 
haste  to  the  shelter  of  Ikififalo.  Other  Fenian  raids,  along  the  St, 
Lawrence  border,  were  easily  repulsed.  Four  years  later,  when 
Confederation  was  well  establisheci,  thi:^  same  Colonel  O'Neil  again 
led  his  Fenians  against  our  l)order,  this  time  attacking  Quebec. 
He  was  routed  ignominiously  (1X70).  In  the  following  year  he 
made  a  similar  attempt  on  Manitoba.  But  the  American  officer 
in  charge  of  Fort  Pembina,  near  the  line,  knew  his  duty  toward 
a  friendly  nation.  With  a  body  of  United  States  troops  he  fol- 
lowed the  ardent  O'Neil  across  the  border,  and  arrested  him. 
Thus  the  last  Fenian  invasion  ended  in  farce. 

And  now  our  scene  shifts  again  to  London.  The  provincial 
delegates,  meeting  in  the  Westminster  p{otel,  reviewed  minately 
Passing  of  the  Quebec  Resolutions.  The  chief  changes  made 
Nort^"'^"'*  were  in  favour  of  the  Maritime  Provinces.  In  I'eb- 
AmericaAct.  ^uary  the  complete  scheme  of  Confederation  was 
brought  before  the  Imperial  Parliament.  It  was  warmly  suj)- 
ported  by  the  leaders  of  all  parties.  It  passed  without  amend- 
ment, and  was  signed  by  the  Queen  on  March  29,  1867.  This 
Act  is  known  ns  the  British  North  America  Act.'  At  the  same 
time  a  lull  was  passed  authorizing  the  Imperial  Parliament  to 
guarantee  a  Canadian  loan  of  $3,000,000,  for  the  construction  of 
what  was  an  essential  to  Confederation,  the  long-desired  inter- 
colonial railway. 

The  Constitution  of  Canada  is  based  on  that  of  the  mother 
country,  with  some  points  borrowed  from  that  of  the  United 
The  form  of  States,  and  some  new  features  arising  from  the  novelty 
government,  ^f  jj^^  situation.  The  government  of  the  Dominion 
is  made  up  of  four  elements  :  (r)  the  Governor-General ;  (2)  the 
Executive  Council,  or  Cabinet ;  (3)  the  Senate ;  (4)  the  House 
of  Commons.  These  are  really  equivalent  to  three,  —  King, 
Lords,  and  Commons  ;  for  the  Governor- General  and  his  Cabinet 
are  counted  as  one  factor. 


1  See  Appendix  A. 


THE    C.IVA/J/AX  HOUSE    OF  COMMONS. 


351 


(1)  The  Crown  is  represented  liy  the  governor-general,  whose 
functions  are  as  strictly  limited  as  those  of  the  sovereign  in  Great 
Britain.  He  is  ap[)ointed  by  thf?  Queen,  and  holds  xheoover- 
ofifice  for  five  years.  He  is  the  commander-in-chief  ""-^^c"*'^*' 
of  the  naval  and  niilitary  forces  in  Canada ;  he  appoints  the 
lieutenant-governors  and  the  judges ;  he  has  authority  to  com- 
mute the  sentences  of  the  court.  He  acts  upon  the  advice  of 
his  ministers,  but  has  power  to  withhold  his  assent  to  any  ])ill. 

(2)  His  advisers,  called  "the  ('abmet  or  Kxecu- 

...  ,  •  ,  r  T      ,.  ...       The  Cabinet 

tive,    are  thirteen  members  of  rarliameni ,  responsible 

to  the  people,  holding  office  only  so  long  as  they  hold  the  peo- 
ple's confidence. 

.  (3)  The  Senate  is  not  elective,  but  is  made  up  of  life  members 
nominated  by  the  Governor-in-Council.     In  the  constitution  of 

the  Senate  it  was  sought  to  make  it  ( orrespond  with 
,      TT  r  I  r  •,  .     •  ,      The  Senate, 

the  House  of  1  ords,  as  far  as  was  possible  in  a  purely 

democratic  country  like  Canada.  The  Senate,  at  the  time  of 
union,  consisted  of  seventy-two  members,  —  twenty- four  each  from 
Ontario  and  Quebec,  twelve  each  from  Nova  Scotia  and  New 
Brunswick.  Each  senator  must  be  a  British  subject,  must  live  in 
the  province  he  represents,  and  must  own  unencumbered  property 
to  the  value  of  at  least  1^4000. 

(4)  The  House  of  Commons  is  the  direct  representative  of 
the  people.  Its  members  are  elected  by  the  people.  They 
serve  for  a  term  of  five  years,  unless  the  House  be  xhe  House  of 
dissolved  by  the  Ck)vernor-in-Council  in  the  mean-  Commons, 
time,  as  frequently  happens.  If  a  member  be  appointed  to  the 
Cabinet,  he  resigns  his  seat  and  goes  before  the  people  lor  re- 
election. Each  member  must  be  a  British  subject,  and  hold 
property  to  the  value  of  $2500.  At  the  time  of  union  the  House 
of  Commons  was  made  up  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one"  mem- 
bers,—  sixty-five  for  Quebec,  eighty-two  for  Ontario,  nineteen  for 
Nova  Scotia,  fifteen  for  New  Brunswick.  It  was  arranged  that  the 
representation  should  be  readjusted  after  each  (iecennial  census, 
in  order  that  the  principle  of  representation  by  population  should 


I 


352 


A   mSTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Difference 
between  a 
federal  and 
a  leginla- 
tive  union. 


be  clearly  recogni/td.  The  number  of  members  tor  Quebec  was 
fixed  at  sixty-fi\'e  ;  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  members  for  the 
other  provinces  should  vary  in  such  a  way  that  their  represcnta 
tion  should  always  bear  the  same  ratio  to  their  population  as  sixty- 
five  to  the  population  of  Quebec.  After  the  census  of  i8yi  to(;k 
place  a  readjustment,  by  which,  on  the  next  general  elections,  held 
in  1896,  the  House  of  (.'ommons  consisted  of  two  hundred  and 
thirteen  members,  —  sixty-five  for  Quebec,  ninety-two  for  Ontario, 
twenty  for  Nova  Scotia,  fourteen  for  New  Brunswick,  five  for  Prince 
Edward  Island,  seven  for  Manitoba,  six  for  British  Columbia,  and 
four  for  the  North-west  Territories. 

The  union  accomplished  by  the  British  North  An)erica  Act  is 
a  federal,  not  a  legislative  union.  A  legislative  union  brings 
the  uniting  provinces  or  states  under  a  single  govern- 
ment which  manages  all  their  affairs.  It  obliter.iics 
the  individual  provinces  or  states.  A  federal  union, 
on  the  other  hand,  leaves  the  uniting  provinces  or 
states  with  governmental  machinery  of  their  own,  to  manage  their 
own  local  and  internal  affairs,  while  establishing  one  central  gov- 
ernment to  manage  such  affairs  as  concern  all  the  provint  es  or 
states  in  common.  Under  the  British  North  America  A<  t  Upper 
Canada  and  Lower  Canada  became  Ontario  and  Quebec  ;  and 
these  provinces,  with  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  retained 
their  provincial  legislatures  under  the  fullest  principles  of  Responsi- 
ble Government.  These  provincial  legislatures,  with  one  excep- 
tion, consisted  of  the  usual  three  branches, — lieutenant-governor, 
Legislative  Council,  and  Assembly.  Ontario  alone  chose  to  do 
without  the  Legislative  Council. 

The  great  diflercnce  between  the  Federal  union  of  Canada  and 
Difference  ^^'^^^  ^^'^  the  United  States  lies  in  the  one  point  of 
sovereignty.  When  the  American  states  federated, 
sovereign  power,  as  we  have  seen,  was  supposed  to  re- 
side in  the  states  themselves,  and  the  central  govern- 
ment gained  only  such  powers  as  were  jealously  yielded 
to  it  by  the  states.     When  the  British  North  American  provinces 


between  the 

Canadian 

federal  union 

and  the 

American 

federal 

union. 


DO.V/.V/OX  DA  Y. 


353 


federated,  the  sovereign  power,  supposed  to  reside  in  the  Crown, 
was  deputed  to  the  central  government,  aiul  the  provinces  re- 
tained only  such  jjowcrs  as  were  portioned  out  to  them  by  the 
central  government.  I'he  provinces  retain  the  management  of 
their  own  public  works,  eiiucation,  pritnary  and  local  adminisfra- 
Hon  of  justice,  licenses,  municipal  institutions,  und  direct  taxation. 
To  the  central  government  at  Ottawa  belong  all  such  matters 
as  trade  and  commerce,  the  postal  sen'ice,  the  census,  viilitary  and 
naval  defence,  fisheries,  the  coinai^e,  hankifii^,  Indian  offaus, 
criminal  law,  appeals,  and  so  forth. 

The  Mritish  North  America  Act  took  efTec  ;n  the  first  day  of 
July,  1867.  The  day  was  observed  with  joynU:,  festivities  through- 
out the  new  Dominion,  and  its  anniv  '  uy  was  ordiiicd  to  be 
a  public  holiday  perpetually,  undo--  the  nimc  of  Dominiou 
j.)„i.i:nion  Day.  This  is  the  birthday  of  <  ;mada.  ^*^ 
To  true  Canadians  it  must  be  what  July  4th  i,  to  patriotic  Amcii- 
cans,  a  day  of  proud  rejoicing.  On  this  d  ly  ^  \nada  became  a 
nation  free  within  itself,  and  bound  to  the  British  Empirp  by 
a  bond  of  authority  so  silken  that  in  a  quarter  of  a  century  it  has 
not  been  felt  to  gall.  The  real  and  binding  tie  between  the 
mother  country  and  her  stalwart  child,  this  Canada,  is  not  a  tie 
of  authority  but  of  sympathy.  It  is  such  a  tie  as  Burke  desired 
to  see  between  England  and  the  Thirteen  Colonies,  when  with 
anguished  eloquence  he  strove  to  avert  the  cruel  and  bloody 
rupture  of  1776.  "  My  hold  of  the  colonies,"  said  the  far-seeing 
orator  in  his  speech  on  "  Conciliation  with  America,"  "  is  in  the 
close  affection  which  grows  from  common  names,  from  kindred 
blood,  from  similar  privileges,  and  equal  protection.  These  are 
ties  which,  though  light  as  air,  are  strong  as  links  of  iron." 


%K 


THIRD    PERIOD. 

CANADIAN  DOMINION :  — EXPANSION  AND 
CONSOLIDATION. 


Im 


3 


;    ♦ 


; 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SECTIONS :  —  95,  THE  First  Dominion  Parliament.     96,  Nova 
Scotia    rf.conciled.     97,  thk    Rku   Riveh    Settlement    ue- 

COMKS    IllE    PhOVINCK   OF   MANITOBA. 

95.  The  First  Dominion  Parliament.  —  The  counsels  of  far- 
seeing  statesmen  had  at  last  borne  fruit  in  fact.  'J'he  dream  of 
])atriots  had  come  true.  Out  of  four  weak  provinces,'  parted  by 
Confederated  rt-'K^hes  of  wilderness  and  by  jealous  distrust,  had  been 
Canada  fashioned,  as  it  were  in  a  day,  a  stately  commonwealth, 

containing  within  itself  all  the  elements  of  power  and  expansion, 
f^etween  the  y>arts  of  the  new  organism  began  to  flow,  slowly  at 
first  but:  with  sure  motion,  the  red  currents  of  national  life.  To 
the  eyes  of  hostile  critics  the  bonds  of  Confederation  seemed  but 
temporary  and  slight.  The  Dominion,  they  said,  was  an  idle  ex- 
])eriment.  Even  they  whose  zeal  had  raised  the  fair  structure 
trembled  lest  it  should  go  to  pieces  under  their  fingers  like  a 
house  of  cards.  Too  close  they  stood  to  take  in  all  at  once  its 
massive  and  enduring  proportions.     They  could  not  know  the 


1  The  areas  and  populations  "f  tliese,  at  the  time  of  union,  were  as  follows  : 

Quebec:  —  area 188,688  sq.  miles  ,  Pop.,  1,111,566. 

Ontario:  —  area 101,733      "  "      i,3g6.oqi. 

Nova  Sci5tia :  —  area      .    .    .       20,907      "  "         330,857. 

-New  Brunswick :— area   .    .      26,173      "  "         252,047. 

These  figures  are  those  of  1861,  on  which  the  Act  of  Union  was  based. 

354 


.VEiy  PARTY  l.liXKS. 


355 


vital  quality  of  the  materials  they  worked  with.  For  all  tnily 
great  work  imagination  is  necessary,  and  inspiration,  and  faith. 
The  end,  until  it  is  reached,  stands  veiled  m  mystery.  When  the 
air  of  that  first  Dominion  l")ay  was  loud  with  bells,  and  cheers, 
and  cannons'  thunder,  which  of  the  most  sanguine  of  those  vvlio 
saw  their  work  thus  crowned  could  have  guessed  that  in  twelve 
years  more  their  Canada  would  cover  half  the  continent?  In 
those  twelve  years  the  area  of  Canada  increased  from  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-eight  thousand  square  miles  to  three  and  a  half 
millions,  an  area  greater  than  that  of  the  United  States  before 
the  purchase  of  Alaska. 

Dominion  Day,  1867,  ushered  in  the  third  period  of  Canadian 
history,  that   in   which   we  live.      The  essential  features  of  this 
period  are  expansion  and  consolidation.     In  the  last  characteris- 
twenty-five  years  of  Canadian  history  there  has  been   confedew- 
the  vast  extension  of  territory  already  referred   to,   t'^"*  *'"'■'''<>• 
with  accomp:inying  growth  in  wealth  and  influence.     This  is  the 
first  essential  feature,  expansion.     There  has  also  been  a  steady 
knitting  together  of  the  remotest  parts  of  this  vast  territory  in  a 
union  of  increasing  strength.     This  is  the  second  essential  feature, 
consolidation.     The  events,  then,  which  really  count  in  our  latter- 
day  iiistory  are  those  which  touch  our  expansion  or  our  consolida- 
tion.    The  others  are  mere  incidents,  to  be  referred  to  in  passing, 
l)ut  not  to  be  confused  with  matters  of  deeper  import. 

The  first  governor-general  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  was 
I-ord  Monck,  whose  tact,  discretion,  and  obedience  to  the  princi- 
ples of  responsil)ie  government  did  much  to  help  on  the  new 
order.  The  Hon.  John  A.  Macdonald,  who  had  coalition  of 
done  more  than  any  other  man  to  bring  about  the  *•!'•  p^^'^^'-'s- 
union,  was  knighted.  Immediately  afterwards  he  was  called  upon 
to  form  a  ministry.  Now  came  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  Cana- 
dian parties  ;  and  from  Macdonald's  action  dates  the  breaking  up 
of  old  party  lines,  the  gradual  establishment  of  new  ones.  With 
that  sagacity  which  distinguished  him,  the  new  prime  minister  an- 
nounced his  policy  in  the  following  terms  :  **  I  desire  to  bring  to 


11    i 

n     , 

i    i 

ii 


m 


H 


I     :,. 


\ 


356 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


myaid,  without  respect  to  parties  in  the  past,  gentlemen  .  .  .  who 
were  active  in  bringing  about  tiie  new  form  of  government,  who 
used  their  influence  to  that  end  in  the  different  sections  of  the 
Confederacy.  I  desire  to  bring  to  my  aid  in  the  new  govern- 
ment those  men,  irrespective  of  party,  who  represent  the  majori- 
ties in  the  different  provinces  of  the  union.  .  .  .  And  as  there 
are  now  no  issues  to  divide  parties,  and  as  all  that  is  required  is 
to  have  in  the  government  the  men  who  are  best  adapted  to  put 
the  new  machinery  in  motion,  I  desire  to  ask  those  to  join  me 
who  have  the  confidence  and  represent  the  majorities  in  the  vari- 
ous sections,  of  those  who  were  in  favour  of  the  adoption  of  this 
system  of  government  and  who  wish  to  see  it  satisfectorily  carried 
out."  Acting  on  these  principles,  Macdonald  called  six  Reformers 
and  six  Conservatives  to  form  with  him  a  Cabinet  of  thirteen  min- 
isters. They  were  divided  as  follows  :  From  Ontario,  where  the 
Reform  [)arty  had  a  majority,  three  Reformers  --  McDougall, 
Howland,  Blair,  and  two  Conservatives,  Macdonald  and  Camp- 
bell. Irom  Quebec,  where  the  Conservatives  had  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority,  four  Consen'atives  — Cariier,  Langevin,  C^hapais,  and 
Gait.  From  Nevv  Brunswick  tw()  Reformers — Tilley  and  Mitchell. 
From  Nova  Scotia,  one  Reformer  and  one  Conservative  —  Archi- 
bald and  Kenny.  In  the  appointments  to  the  Senate  a  like  rule 
was  followed,  the  first  » 'anadian  Senate  consisting  of  thirty-six 
Reformers  and  thirty-six  Conservatives.  The  whole  countenance 
of  Canadian  politics  now  changed.  The  new  party,  made  by  the 
amalgamation  of  Conservatives  and  Reformers  under  Macdonald's 
leadership,  took  the  name  of  Liberal-Conservative  ;  while  those 
Reformers  who  would  not  accept  the  principle  of  coalition  formed 
themselves  into  a  constiiUtion.il  opposition  and  took  the  name  of 
Liberals.  But  Liberal-Conservative  lieing  a  c'umsy  term,  however 
interesting  historically,  it  has  for  the  most  part  been  dropped  in 
favour  of  the  nicknames  "  Tory  "  or  "  Lib.-Con."  ;  while  the  Lib- 
erals have  fallen  heir  to  the  old  nickname  of  "  Grit."         "^ 

That  autumn  the  first  t-lections  under  the  Act  of  Union  tooic 
place.     They  were  fiercely  coiitested.     In  Ontario  George  Brown 


\\ 


THE   F[RST  DOMINION  PARLIAMENT. 


357 


and  the  Krformtrs  attacked  the  principle  of  coalition.  The  Re- 
formerswho  had  joined  hands  with  Macdonald  in  the  new  min- 
istry were  calUnl  political  traitors.    There  was  no  Anti- 

'  '  The  first 

Contederate  party  in  Ontario.     In  New  Brunswick  and  Dominion 

slcctions . 
Nova  Scotia  the  battle  was  lought  on  the  lines  of  Con- 
federation or  Anti-Confederation.  \\\  Ontario,  Quebec,  and  New 
Brunswick,  the  Macdonal'i  government  was  supported  liy  a  great 
majority,  and  the  princi])les  of  l>oth  Confederation  and  coalition 
upheld  beyond  dispute.  Bat  in  Nova  Scotia  it  was  far  otherwise. 
The  people  were  indignant  because  Confederation  had  not  l>een 
laid  before  them  at  the  polls.  They  listened,  therefore,  to  the 
eloquence  of  Howe,  and  an  .\nti  Confederate  wave  swept  over 
the  province.  Of  all  the  Confederate  candidates  not  one  escaped 
defeat  but  the  indomitable  Tupper,  who  was  left  standing  like  a 
tower  in  defiant  solitude. 

On  the  7th  November,  1867,  was  opened  at  Ottawa  the  first 

Parliament  of  the   dominion  of  Canada.     Lord  Monck,  in   his 

speech   from    the   throne,  dwelt   upon   the   splendid 

possibiHties  of  the  union,  and  the  sympathy  extended  Dominion 

.      r        y  Parliament, 

to  it  by  the   mother  country.     He  foretold   a   time 

(less  remote  than  he  imagined)  when  the  young  Confederation 
should  reach  from  ocean  to  ocean.  In  this  session  practical  legis- 
lation left  little  time  for  party  strife.  Measures  were  taken  to 
begin  the  intercolonial  railway.  Matters  of  customs,  excise, 
postal  service,  and  the  like,  pressed  for  attention.  The  question 
came  up  of  what  was  called  Dual  Representation.  By  the  new 
constitution  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  members  of  the  Domin- 
ion Parliament  from  also  holding  seats  in  the  provincial  legis- 
latures. A  bill  to  put  an  end  to  this  was  brought  in,  but  afterwards 
withdrawn.  Dual  Represein^.tion  prevaded  in  Ontario  and  Que- 
bec for  some  years.  In  the  Maritime  Provinces  it  never  existed, 
the  provincial  legislatures  having  passed  bills  to  prevent  it. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  event  in  this  first  session  was  the  move- 
ment for  annexing  the  North-west.  This  showed  the  temper, 
the  vigorous  self-reliance,  the   imperial  ambition  of   the   young 


358 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


fi 


f|! 


Confederacy.  The  chief  mover  was  the  Hon.  William  McDougall, 
already  known  for  his  interest  in  North-west  matters.  An  ad- 
The  move-  dress  to  the  Throne  was  passed,  praying  that  jurisdic- 
anneVthe  ^ion  over  the  Hudson  Bay  Territories,  comprising  all 
North-west.  ^^^  North-west  and  Rupert's  Land,  should  be  trans- 
ferred from  the  Imperial  to  the  Dominion  government.  One  of 
the  various  reasons  urged  in  support  of  this  step  was  that  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  did  not  govern  its  vast  territories  in  a  way 
to  favour  their  development.  Another  was  that  if  Canada  did  not 
annex  the  territories,  the  United  States,  still  land-hungry  after 
swallowing  up  Alaska,  would  make  an  effort  to  do  so.  This  action 
of  Mr.  McDougall's,  as  we  shall  see,  was  destined  to  bear  great 
fruit. 

96.  Nova  Scotia  reconciled.  —  The  second  year  of  Confedera- 
tion was  marked  by  a  deed  which  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through 
Assassina-  ^^^  Canada.  This  was  the  assassination  of  Thomas 
tionofMcGee.  D'^j-j-y  McGee,  the  patrio'c  statesman  whose  elo- 
quence anil  whose  influence  with  his  fellow- Irishmen  in  Canada 
had  done  so  much  to  bring  about  the  union.  McGee  had  spoken 
late  in  the  House,  urging  patience  and  conciliation  toward  the  anti- 
Confederates  of  Nova  Scotia,  who  were  clamouring  for  Repeal. 
It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  .April  7th,  when  the  House 
adjourned.  The  streets  of  Ottawa  were  silent  with  new  snow. 
As  McGee  stooped  to  fit  the  latch-key  to  his  door,  the  murderer 
stepped  up  behind  him  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  There 
were  many  members  of  the  Fenian  Brotherhood  scattered  through 
Canada,  particularly  in  Montreal,  and  the  deed  was  straightway 
laid  to  their  charge.  McGee,  once  connected  with  the  United 
Ireland  movement,  had  been  fearless  in  his  denunciation  of  the 
Fenians.  He  had  threatened  them  with  the  exposure  of  certain 
secrets  which  he  had  in  possession  ;  and  he  used  all  his  influence 
to  prevent  his  countrymen  from  joining  them.  Ominous  were  the 
Fenian  threats,  but  he  disregarded  them.  His  courage  cost  him 
his  life.  No  less  than  $20,000  was  offered  in  rewards  for  the  ap- 
prehension of  the  murderer,  and  at  length  a  Fenian  by  the  name 


:f 


,V0y.4   SCOT/A   RECONCILED. 


359 


of  Whelan  was  arrested,  convicted,  an(i  hanged  for  the  crime. 
The  name  of  McCiee  shines  upon  our  annals  as  that  of  a  patriot- 
martyr.  But  the  blood  of  martyrs  is  not  shed  in  vain.  The  death 
of  McGee  drew  province,  race,  and  party  more  closely  together  in 
the  bonds  of  a  sympathy  that  now  began  to  call  itself  national. 

Meanwhile  Repeal  was  the  word  that  filled  the  air  in  Nova 
Scotia.     Though  Howe  and  his  followers  had  spoken  at  Ottawa 

with  comparative  moderation,  not  so  temperately  did 

'  I  /  Repeal  agita- 

they  speak  on  the  stump  and  before  their  own  constit-   tioninWova 

,  ,  -r,      yr  SCOtJa. 

uencies.  1  he  new  Assembly  at  Halifax  passed  reso- 
lutions demanding  leave  for  Nova  Scotia  to  secede ;  and  Howe 
led  a  delegation  to  lay  these  resolutions  before  the  Throne.  Dur- 
ing their  absence,  however,  the  feeling  against  the  union  began  to 
cool.  Soon  the  Hand  that  guides  the  destinies  of  nations  inter- 
vened to  make  the  heart  of  Nova  Scotia  beat  more  kindly  toward 
her  sister  provinces.  The  fishing-season  of  1867  had  been  one  of 
terrible  failure  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  winter  of  1868  found  her 
fishing-population  all  but  starving.  The  rest  of  Canada  hastened 
to  the  rescue.  From  every  town  and  city  flowed  the  stream  of 
succour.  Money  and  provisions  poured  into  the  suffering  districts. 
And  under  this  generous  warmth  much  of  Nova  Scotia's  bitterness 
died  away. 

In  London  Howe's  arguments  got  scant  favour  from  Parliament. 
The  demand  for  Repeal  was  peremptorily  dismissed.  On  the 
return  of  the  delegates  to  Halifax  they  felt  the  neces-  uova  Scotia 
sity  of  accepting  the  union.  Sir  John  Macdonald,  ''econciied. 
with  other  (Confederation  leaders,  visited  Halifax  in  the  autumn 
and  tried,  though  in  vain,  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  But 
soon  afterwards  Howe  publicly  declared  that  it  was  no  use  making 
any  further  demand  for  Repeal.  He  advised  his  province  to  give 
up  the  idea  of  secession,  and  seek  simply  to  gain  better  terms. 
Then  began  the  "  Better  Terms  "  negotiations,  carried  on  by  Howe 
and  the  Dominion  government.  Some  of  Nova  Scotia's  claims 
were  shown  to  be  just.  Finally  the  Dominion  government  agreed 
to  become  responsible  for  a  much  larger  portion  of  her  debt  than 


5, 


36o 


A   HrSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


^  ( 


u 


^  J 

1 

1    •      , 

- 

u         "1 

\ 

.'t          . 

'4 

•        1 

ft 


had  been  contemplated  in  the  Act  of  Union,  and  also  to  pay  her 
a  subsidy  of  $82,698  a  year  for  ten  years,  to  compensate  for  cer- 
tain losses  of  revenue,  These  terms  being  accepted  by  the  prov- 
ince, Howe  on  his  part  accepted  Confederation,  and  also  a  seat 
in  the  iJoniinion  Cabinet  (1S69).  He  was  bitterly  assailed  for 
this ;  but  he  carried  his  province.  Howe  was  essentially  a  leader 
of  men,  a  swayer  of  men's  hearts.  When  he  took  the  stump  the 
people  were  for  him,  however  reason  and  logic  might  chance  to 
be  against  him.  In  this  same  year  the  Newfoundland  Legislature 
decided  for  ("onfcderaiion,  and  sent  Messrs.  Shea  and  Carter  to 
Ottawa  to  discuss  terms.  But  an  election  was  held,  and  the  meas- 
ure was  buried  under  such  a  mass  of  unenlightened  votes  that  it 
could  not  lift  its  head  again  for  years.  The  people  of  the  Ancient 
Colony  had  heard  that  Confederation  would  mean  more  ta.xation  ; 
and  hence  their  wrath. 

About  this  time  one  Mr.  Chandler,  of  the  state  of  Michigan, 
moved  in  the  American  Senate  that  England  be  asked  to  hand 

„^    .  over  Canada  in  settlement  of  the  ^'Alabama  Claims." 
The  Ameri- 
cans poach  Canada  retorted  by  a  large  claim  against  the  Ameri- 
on  the  Cana-  ^  ^      1         1 
dian  flsh-  can  government  on  account  of  aid  and  encouragement 

given  to  the  Fenians.  Senator  Chandler's  proposal  was 
but  another  of  the  good  offices  rendered  by  America  in  stirring  up 
a  national  sentiment  in  our  young  Confederacy.  American  fisher- 
men, too,  helped  to  awaken  this  needed  sentiment  in  our  breasts. 
They  persisted  in  poaching  on  the  rich  shore  fisheries  of  the 
Maritime  Provinces  and  the  Gulf.  The  .Americans  had  forfeited 
the  right  to  these  fisheries  when  they  abrogated  the  Reciprocity 
Treaty.  Canada,  for  a  time,  was  tmwilling  to  assert  her  rights 
too  roughly,  and  merrily  the  poaching  went  on,  to  the  grievous 
lo^s  of  Canadian  fishermen.  It  aroused  a  deep  resentment.  The 
few  annexationists  in  Canada  were  quickly  changing  their  minds. 
The  visit  of  Prince  .Arthur,  in  this  same  year,  called  forth  such 
universal  demonstrations  of  loyalty,  as  left  no  doubt  as  to  the 
temper  of  the  people.  This  did  much  to  correct  the  lingering 
idea  of  the  Americans,  that  Canada  was  ready  to  drop  into  the 


THE  NORTH-WEST    1 EKRITORIES. 


361 


lap  of  the  republic.    On  every  hand  events  conspired  to  strengthen 
the  bonds  of  Confederation. 

97.    The  Red  River  Settlement  becomes  the  Province  of  Mani- 
toba.—  In  1870  the  negotiations  for  taking  in  the   North-west 
were  crowned  witli  success.     The  great  obstacle  to  Canada  pur- 
overcome   was    the    Hudson    Bay   Company,   which  w^rth-west 
claimed  the  whole  region 


This  claim  Canada  pro-   ^romthe 


Hudson  Bay 
tested  against,  on  various  grounds  which  we  need  not  Co™pany. 

enter  into.  Finally,  however,  it  was  found  simplest  and  fairest 
to  buy  out  the  company's  claims.  Under  pressure  from  the 
Crown,  the  company  gave  up  to  Canada  its  ancient  proprietor- 
ship of  the  North-west  Territories,  its  ancient  monopoly  of  the 
North-west  trade.  It  received  in  return  a  cash  payment  of 
^^'300,000,  a  twentieth  of  all  lands  surveyed  in  the  territory  for 
future  settlement,  and  certain  guarantees  against  excessive  taxa- 
tion. It  retained  its  trading-posts,  its  influence  with  the  natives, 
its  special  facilities  for  the  fur-trade.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
though  no  longer  a  sovereign  power  in  disguise,  is  still  a  potent 
factor  in  North-west  life,  and  the  greatest  emporiums  of  com- 
merce in  the  North-west  are  marked  by  the  significant  letters 
H.  B.  C. 

The  imperial  heritage  to  which  Canada  thus  fell  heir  is  one 
so  vast  that  nations  might  be  carved  from  it  and  the  loss  scarcely 
noticed.     Its  lakes  are  inland  seas,  its  rivers  mighty  „^ 

Chfl.rfl.cxfins* 

floods  that  open  up  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  land,  tics  of  the 

.  North-west. 

The  Mackenzie  River,  traversing  but  an  out-of-the- 
way  corner  of  this  region,  yet  runs  a  course  of  two  thousand  miles. 
The  Saskatchewan  rolls  its  spacious  current  thirteen  hundred  miles, 
not  to  find  the  ocean,  but  to  lose  itself  in  Lake  Winnipeg,  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  continent.  In  the  valley  of  this  river  alone  a 
population  greater  than  that  of  the  British  Isles  might  well  support 
itself.  From  Lake  Winnipeg  westward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains 
stretch  the  most  exhaustlessly  fertile  wheat  fields  of  North  America, 
with  a  summer  temperature  that  ripens  the  choicest  quality  of  grain. 
These  endless  plains  of  black  soil  seem  destined  to  be  the  granary 


362 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


,  i, 


;i 


of  the  world.  Over  them  floats  an  atmosphere  bracing,  electrical, 
full  of  vigour.  In  the  more  easterly  sections  the  cold  of  winter 
is  intense,  but  so  dry  and  still  is  the  air  that  the  low  temperature 
causes  little  discomfort.  Men  do  not  realize  that  the  thermometer 
is  lower  than  in  the  wet  and  windy  east.  Spring  comes  as  it  were 
in  a  night,  and  the  interminable  plains  are  adorned  with  flowers. 
Summer  flames  swiftly  through  the  wide  and  gleaming  sky,  and 
the  crops  rush  to  ripeness.  Almost  fabulous  are  the  harvests  of 
hay  and  roots  and  grain.  As  the  plains  unfold  towaia  the  foot  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  they  grow  less  fitted  for  wheat,  but  unsur- 
passable for  the  grazing  of  flocks.  The  chmate  is  so  tempered  in 
winter  by  the  balmy  "  Chinook  "  winds  streaming  in  from  the 
westward,  that  the  sweet  and  abundant  grasses  keep  green  all 
winter,  and  cattle  need  no  housing.  The  isothermal  lines  sweep 
so  far  north  that  the  temperate  climate  of  Nova  Scotia  is  found  in 
the  valleys  of  the  Peace  and  the  Athabasca ;  and  farming  is  by  no 
means  unfruitful  along  the  upper  waters  of  the  Mackenzie  itself. 
Rivers  and  lakes  abound  with  fish.  Beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil 
are  vast  coal  deposits,  petroleum  fields  stretching  far  beyond  the 
Arctic  Circle,  and  many  other  treasures  of  the  mine.  High  pla- 
teaus of  rock  and  torrent  and  stunted  forest  lying  east  and  north 
of  the  prairie  regions  are  stored  with  gold  and  iron,  copper  nml 
nickel.  Here  are  possibilities  so  boundless,  resources  so  various 
and  vast,  that  the  imagmation  is  dazzled  in  the  effort  to  foretell 
their  future. 

Such  was  the  North-west  Territory,  which  for  generations  had 
been  represented  to  the  world  as  an  Arctic  barren.     Beyond  the 

„    ^  scattered  posts  of  the  great  fur-trading  company  it  was 

Worth-west  '  °  °  '^  ^ 

hostility  to  occupied  by  roving  Indians,  and  by  the  twelve  thou- 
sand  inhabitants  of  the  Red  River  settlement,  nearly 
ten  thousand  of  whom  were  half-breeds.  As  soon  as  the  Territory 
was  handed  over  to  Canada  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  Canadian 
surveyors  flocked  in  to  lay  out  roads,  and  lots,  and  townships.  But 
now  Canada  found  that  the  great  company  was  not  the  only  factor 
to  be  dealt  with.    The  settlers  of  Red  River  were  making  them- 


RED  RIVER   REBELLION. 


363 


selves  heard  in  angry  protest.  There  were  several  reasons  for 
their  anger.  They  claimed  that  their  interests  had  not  been  pro- 
tected in  the  transfer,  'I'hey  objected  that  they  were  being  thrust 
into  the  ignoble  position  of  the  colony  of  a  colony.  The  half- 
breeds  resented  the  presence  of  the  Canadian  surveyors,  who 
regardetl  them  as  an  inferior  race.  They  foresaw  heavy  taxation 
in  all  this  surveying  and  proposed  road-building.  The  half- 
breeds  were  themselves  divided,  some  being  of  Scottish  origin, 
English  speech,  and  Protestant  creed,  while  others  were  in  speech 
and  origin  French,  in  creed  Roman  Catholic.  Each  of  these 
two  sections  was  afraid  lest  union  with  Canada  should  give  the 
other  some  advantage.  But  these  were  not  all  the  elements  of 
disturbance.  Among  the  influential  pure  whites,  two  thousand 
in  number,  there  were  many  Canadians  who  did  their  utmost  for 
union.  But  there  were  also  Fenians,  who  dreamed  childish  dreams 
of  a  republic  in  the  Red  River  valley.  And  there  were  American 
immigrants  whose  hearts  were  set  on  annexation. 

Hotter  and  hotter  grew  the  excitement,  and  the  Hudson  liay 
officials,  not   ill-pleased,  took  no  steps  to  allay  it.     The  faction 
that  came  to  the  front  was  that  of  the  M^tis,  or  French   xhe  Red 
half-breeds,  under  their  fanatical  leader,  Louis  Riel.   uon"reaks" 
When  news  came  that  McDougall  was  on  his  way  to  ""*• 
Fort   Garry  as   governor,  Riel   and   his  followers  rose   in   open 
rebellion    (1869).     They   seized    Fort    Garry   and    established 
what  they  called  a  "  Provisional  Government,"  with  Riel  as  presi- 
dent.    When  Governor  McDougall,  travelling  to  his  new  charge 
by  way  of  Minnesota,  reached  the  boundary-line,  he  was  stopped 
by  the  half-breeds  and  forbidden  to  enter   the  territory.    The 
English-speaking  inhabitants  now  took  alarm,  and  spoke  for  union  ; 
but  Riel  had  grown  too  strong  for  them.     McDougall,  thundering 
out  of  the  Minnesota  wilderness,  ordered  the  rebels  to  lay  down 
their  arms.     His  order  was  laughed  to  scorn. 

Louis  Riel  was  the  son  of  a  full-blooded  white  father  and  a 
half-breed  mother.  He  was  educated  at  Montreal  for  the  priest- 
hood, but   returned  to  Red  River  without  taking  orders.     As  a 


I    w 


f>l 


I 


I 


■f 


f' 


r 


I  i 


I!; 


364 


A   mSTORY   OF   CAX.lD.t. 


boy  he  was  noted  for  Ix  tlily  vigour,  and  for  his  influence  over 

his  fellows.     He  was  a  fluent  orator,  a  fair  scholar,  ;uul  skilled  in 

playing  upon  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.     His  pre- 

andthemur-    tensions  were  as  boundless  as  his  ambitions,  and  he 
Uer  of  Scott.  ' 

seems  to  have  been  in  some  decree  the  victim  of  self- 
delusion.  Had  he  not  been  so  vainglorious  as  to  think  that  he 
could  set  law  and  order  and  the  (Janadian  government  at  naught, 
he  would  probably  now  be  honoured  as  the  champion  of  North- 
west liberty  ;  for  many  of  the  claims  which  he  made  for  his 
countrymen  were  such  as  justice  could  not  ignore.  But  with 
insane  impatience  he  snatched  at  the  sword.  There  was  no  one  in 
the  settlement  ready  or  strong  enough  to  oppose  him.  The  wild 
fanatic  arrested  those  Canadian  settlers  who  would  not  bow  to  his 
sway.  Then  came  the  climax  of  his  madness.  Among  his  pris- 
oners was  a  resolute  young  immigrant  from  Ontario,  by  the  name 
of  Thomas  Scott,  who  had  faced  Riel  with  contemptuous  defiance. 
Furious  at  this,  Riel  determined  to  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of 
the  Canadian  party.  Young  Scott  was  court-martialed  for  treason 
against  the  provisional  government,  and  condemned  to  death. 
No  argument,  no  appeal,  no  picture  of  the  inevitable  conse- 
quences, could  turn  Kiel  from  his  purpose.  On  the  4th  of  March, 
1870,  Scott  was  taken  out  and  shot  like  a  dog  in  the  snow,  under 
the  walls  of  Fort  Garry.  It  was  not  an  execution,  it  was  a  mur- 
der, and  a  peculiarly  brutal  one.  At  news  of  it  a  cry  of  ven- 
geance went  up  from  the  east.  The  volunteers  sprang  to  arms. 
Of  the  thousands  offering  themselves  seven  hundred  were  ac- 
cepted. They  formed,  with  five  hundred  regulars,  the  Red  River 
Expeditionary  Force,  which  in  hot  haste  started  for  the  scene. 
-'  Immediately  after  the  murder  of  poor  Scott,  Archbishop  Tach^, 
who  was  much  beloved  by  the  M^tis,  arrived  at  Fort  Garry,  to  act 
as  an  informal  mediator  between  Ottawa  and  the  rebels.  He 
brought  an  invitation  for  the  half-breed  delegates  to  visit  the  capi- 
tal, and  also  a  promise  of  pardon  for  those  who  had  taken  part  in 
the  rising.  This  promise  of  pardon,  however,  had  been  issued 
before  the  murder  of  Scott,  and  Canada  held  that  it  could  not 


MANITOBA    ORGANIZED. 


3^j5 


apply  to  his  murderers.  The  gooil  Bishop,  seeking  peace,  was 
rather  lavish  of  his  pardons  ;  and  out  of  it  came  trouble  by-and- 
by.  But  his  presence,  together  with  the  news  that  trooi)s  were 
coming,  had  an  instant  effect.  Riel  became  a  model  of  loyalty. 
The  Queen's  Birthday,  even,  was  celebrated  with  zeal,  and  Riel 
began  to  look  askance  at  his  Fenian  secretary,  O'Donohue. 
Delegates  from  the  provisional  government  were  sent  in  haste  to 
Ottawa,  to  confer  upon  the  terms  of  union. 

The  Red  River  Expedition  was  led  by  Colonel  Garnet  Wolse- 
ley,  now  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  army.  Being  a  mili- 
tary force,  the  expedition  could  not  pass  through  Manitoba 
United  States  territory.  It  took  the  toilsome  route  of  "'g^n'^ed 
the  old  fur-traders,  up  Lake  Superior,  and  through  five  hundred 
miles  of  difficult  wilderness.  Wliile  it  was  on  the  way,'  the 
Manitoba  Act  was  passed,  and  Manitoba  was  received  into  the 
Confederation  as  a  full-fledged  province  (1870).  By  the  provi- 
sions of  the  act  no  less  than  one  million  four  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  land  were  reserved  for  ilie  sttilement  of  half-breed  claims, 
and  many  of  the  demai\db  for  which  Riel  had  raised  such  outcry 
were  granted  without  dispute. 

Soon  afterwards  (August,  1870),  the  Red  River  Expedition, 
emerging  from  the  wilderness,  arrived  at  Fort  Garry.  There  was 
nothing  for  it  to  do.  At  the  first  sound  of  its  bugles,  ihe  rebellion 
Riel  and  his  fellows  had  vanished.  The  rebellion  P'^tdow'n. 
was  at  an  end.  Riel  fled  into  exile  in  the  neighbouring  states,  to 
return  years  later  and  work  fiirther  mischief.  Many  of  Wolselcy'-, 
volunteers  settled  in  the  new  province,  to  be  an  element  of  sturdy 
loyalty.  Under  land  laws  of  the  most  liberal  type  immigrants 
flocked  in  by  thousands.  Like  magic  uprose  our  stately  prairie 
province.     The  old  Hudson  Bay  post  by  the  turbid  stream  of 


1  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1S70,  while  Riot  was  still  rampaui  at  Fort  Garry,  that 
the  Fenians  made  their  renewed  attempts  on  our  frontiers.  These  raids  have 
been  described  in  an  earlier  paragraph.  It  is  worth  while  to  note,  by  the  way,  that 
the  Fenians  so  far  dishonoured  that  much-ioved  emblem,  the  Shamrock  of  Ireland, 
as  to  inscribe  it  on  the  rebel  flag  which  flew  over  the  murderers  of  Scott. 


I 
\ 

\ 

; 

366 


A   III Sr DRY  OF  CANADA. 


11 

|! 

Red  River  grew  into  the  busy  city  of  Winnipeg,  with  its  thronged 
and  imposing  streets,  its  hum  of  modern  activity.  The  first  gov- 
ernor' of  the  new  province  was  Adams  (i.  Archibald,  of  Nova 
Scotia,  who  arrived  close  on  the  heels  of  Wolseley's  expedition. 

And  now,  there  being  no  hope  of  a  new  Reciprocity  Treaty, 
Canada  set  about  protecting  her  fisheries  from  American  poach- 
The  imperial  ^rs.  She  fell  back  on  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of 
drawn Tiom  i^^^-  A  patrol  licet  was  fitted  out,  and  the  poachers 
Canada.  ^y^..^^,  warned.     Vessels  disregarding  the  warning  were 

seized,  condeo.incd  in  die  courts,  and  sold.  Fierce  were  the 
threats  of  the  Americans  because  Canada  would  no  longer  be 
robbed.  I'luler  such  influences  our  Militia  Bill  was  passed  ;  and 
seeing  Canada  fairly  ready  to  provide  for  her  own  «lefence,  Great 
Hritain  withdrew  her  troops.  During  1868  and  1869  there  had  been 
nearly  sixteen  thousand  Briliiili  regulars  in  Canada.  These  were 
reduced  to  less  than  ..vo  thousand.  The  massive  fortifications  of 
Halifax  remained  in  imperial  hands,  and  that  city  was  made  the 
British  naval  and  military  station  for  the  North  Atlantic.  All 
other  fortifications,  with  arms  and  military  stores,  were  given  up 
to  Canada.  The  ancient  fortress  of  Quebec  passed  into  the  care 
of  Canadian  troops.  Young  Canada  was  thus  made  more  self- 
reliant,  and  taught  to  cling  less  closely  to  the  maternal  apron- 
strings. 

The  year  1870  was  made  further  notable  by  a  succession  of 
local  calamities.     Creat  fires  ravaged  the  upper  provinces.     Que- 
bec city  lost  four   hundred  houses  in  one  visitation. 
Calamities.  •'  ,    ,  ,  .     ,- 

Ottawa   was   so    threatened   by   a   hungry  encircling 

horde  of  bu&h-fires,  that  for  protection  the  Rideau  Canal  was  cut, 
and  the  low  lands  all  about  laid  under  water.  A  strange  blow  fell 
on  Nova  Scotia,  in  the  loss  of  the  great  Inman  steamer  City  of 
Boston.  Sailing  from  New  York  on  January  25th,  she  called  at 
Halifax  and  took  on  board  a  number  of  Nova  Scotian  passengers. 


'^1  I » 

fC   I  ! 


:1J    ; 


1  McDougall  had  been  made  governor,  not  of  a  province,  but  an  unorganizei; 
territory.  ...  .    . 


^  i  I 


LOCAL    CALAMITIES, 


367 


On  the  28th  she  steamed  out  of  Halifax  harbour,  —  ami  from 
that  day  to  this  no  tiilings  of  her  have  come  to  the  ears  of  men. 
Later  in  the  year  the  coasts  were  visited  by  a  terrific  tidal  wave 
and  hurricane,  which  strewed  the  shore  with  wrecks  and  drowned 
the  marshes.  As  if  war,  conflagration,  and  ruin  by  sea  were  not 
enough,  on  October  20th  the  land  was  shaken  by  an  earthquake. 
This  jarred  men's  nerves,  but  did  no  serious  damage.  And  the 
troubled  year  came  to  an  end  in  quiet. 


■      3 


il 


W 


'  chapti:r  XXIV. 


SPXTIONS:  —  98,  Rkitish  Columbia   joins  the  Dominion.    99, 
Pkovincial  Affairs.     100.  IMunce  Edward  Island  joins  the 


Do.MiNioN.     Change   of   Government. 
Policy.    The  Fisheries  Commission. 


loi,    the   National 


# 
A 


98.  Billish  Columbia  joins  the  Dominion. — The  year  1871 
brought  another  addition  to  the  Confederated  Provinces  of  Can- 
British  ^^^^>  ''iri^l  fulfilled  the  dream  of  the  fathers  of  Con- 
foins™he^con-  federation  by  extending  Canada  from  ocean  to  ocean, 
federation.  jjntjsh  Columbia  came  into  the  Dommion.  In  the 
previous  year  a  resolution  favouring  union  had  been  passed  by 
the  British  Columbia  Legislature,  under  the  influence  of  the  pro- 
vincial governor,  Mr.  Antony  Musgrave.  This  was  the  same  judi- 
cious statesman  who,  when  governor  of  Newfoundland,  had  so 
nearly  .succeeded  in  bringing  '.lie  Ancient  Colony  into  Confedera- 
tion. Delegates  were  sent  to  Ottawa  to  confer  on  terms  of  union. 
During  the  session  of  1871  the  bill  for  the  admission  of  British 
Columbia  was  hotly  debated  in  the  Canadian  Parliament,  and 
finally  carried.  The  chief  condition  on  which  the  Pacific  provmce 
came  in  was  the  building  of  a  railway  to  connect  her  with  the 
eastern  provinces.  This  transcontinental  line  was  to  be  begun 
within  two  years,  and  completed  within  ten  years,  from  the  date 
of  union.  As  we  shall  see,  these  conditions  proved  too  hard,  and 
the  railway  was  not  finished  till  five  years  later  than  the  time 
agreed  upon ;  but  the  splendid  faith  which  could  undertake,  the 
splendid  vigour  which  could  achieve,  so  vast  an  enterprise  with 
such  slender  resources,  are  enough  to  justify  the  most  boundless 

368 


BRITISH   COLUMBIA, 


369 


confidence  in  our  country's  future.  The  imperial  dimensions 
which  Canada  attained  on  the  accession  of  British  Columbia  drew 
the  eyes  of  tiie  world  uiion  her,  and  men  grew  interested  in  the 
young  giant  thus  suddenly  springing  up  in  the  spacious  north. 

The  new  member  of  the  Dominion  was  a  vast  realm,  of  greater 
area  than  Quebec,  Ontario,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick  all 
taken  together.  It  has  been  already  referred  to  as  Thecharac- 
a  sea  of  mountains.  But  the  torrents  that  run  down  the  n^'w  °* 
from  her  snowy  i)eaks  bear  sands  of  gold,  her  ledges  P''o^"i<=c- 
and  her  cliffs  are  veincil  with  all  the  precious  metals.  There  is 
coal,  too,  of  the  highest  quality  and  in  lavish  abundance.  The 
steep  slopes  are  clodied  with  magnificent  forests,  able  to  supply 
the  lumber-trade  of  the  world.  Bays  and  rivers  swarm  with  fish. 
The  great  resources,  therefore,  of  British  Columbia  are  her  mines, 
her  fisheries,  and  her'  timber.  But  she  is  not  poor  in  cultivable 
land.  The  great  delta  of  the  Fraser  River  is  a  garden,  where 
flourish  in  profusion  the  choicest  products  of  the  farm.  There 
are  valleys  bci:ttere(]  over  the  mainland  and  Vancouver  Island 
which  afford  millions  of  fertile  acres,  under  a  climate  of  match- 
less mildness,  with  a  winter  that  is  like  perpetual  spring.  And  m 
the  north  of  the  province,  about  the  sources  of  the  Peace  River, 
stretches  a  region  which  must  soon  attract  a  great  farming  popu- 
lation. At  the  time  of  union  the  province  had  about  thirty-six 
thousand  inhabitants,  of  whom  less  than  half  were  white.  But 
the  union  brought  a  new  era.  Wealth  and  population  at  once 
leaped  forward.  'I'ovvns  and  cities  sprang  up  as  at  the  waving  of 
an  enohanter's  wand.  The  wand  that  wrought  this  magic  is  tlie 
great  railroad  whose  history  we  shall  take  up  in  later  paragraphs. 

With  Canada's  vast  expansion  came  the  need  of  a  prompt  settle- 
men*  of  her  disputes  with  the  neighbouring  republic.     This  was 
gained  bv  the  Treaty  of  Washington.     There  were  Am^hCom- 
damages  for  the  Fenian  raids  to  consider,  —  and  the  Seets°at 
fisheries  dispute,  —  and  the  question  of  the  naviga-  Washington, 
tion  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  —  and  British  Columbia's  uncertain  south- 
ern boundary.      Great  Britain  seized  the  occasion  for  a  settle- 

2B 


370 


^   HISTORY  OF  CANADA, 


|: 


i  ^ 

I 

i 


ment  of  the  ^^Alabiona  claims."  A  joint  High  Commission  was 
agreed  upon  by  Great  Britain  and  the  linited  States.  Canada 
was  represented  on  the  board  by  Sir  John  Macdonaki.  On  Feli- 
riury  27,  1871,  tlie  comiTfii.ssiop.ers  opened  their  court  at  ^Vashing- 
ton.  As  might  have  been  foreseen,  Canada  was  the  one  whose 
interests  had  to  suffer  most  for  peace'  sake. 

The  Washington  Treaty  dealt  with  four  jjoints  of  dispute  : 
(i)  the  ownership  of  the  island  of  .San  Juan  ;  (  2  j  the  boundaries 
Subjects dis-  between  Canada  and  Alaska;  (3)  the  admission  of 
commis-^^''^  Americans  to  Canada's  Inshore  fisheries  and  to  the 
sioners.  navigation    of   the    St.    Lawrence   system ;     (4)    the 

claims  of  America  on  n  -count  of  damage  done  to  her  trade  by 
the  Southern  cruiser  llabama;  and  the  counter-claims  of  Can- 
ada on  account  of  tiie  Fenian  raids.  The  San  Juan  question 
has  been  already  explained.  The  (piestion  of  the  boundary 
between  British  Columbia  and  Alaska,  particularly  as  to  th.:  width 
of  that  narrow  strip  which,  from  latitude  54^  40'  northward,  fences 
British  Columbia  from  the  sea,  was  referred  to  arbitration.  But 
the  settlement,  made  on  insuiflcient  data,  was  not  to  prove  final, 
lii  later  years,  when  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Alaska  brought 
the  usual  inrush  of  population,  it  was  found  that  some  of  the 
mines  were  on  territory  whose  ownership  was  uncertain.  New 
surveys  became  necessary,  and  the  end  is  not  yet. 

In  regard  to  the  fisheries  dispute,  an  agreement  was  come  to 
for  a  term  of  twelve  years.  It  provided  that  fish  and  fish  oil 
Thewashing-  ^om  either  country  should  be  admitted  duty  free  to 
ton  Treaty,  ^y^^  markets  of  the  Other.  As  the  Canadian  fisheries 
were  vastly  the  more  valuable,  it  was  agreed  that  for  the  privilege 
of  sharing  them  the  Americans  should  pay  Canada  a  lump  sum, 
the  :i mount  of  which  should  be  determined  by  another  commis- 
sion. The  Americans  were  admitted  on  even  terms  to  the  navi- 
gation of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  of  the  canals  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
system  ;  while  Canadians  were  to  share  in  the  navigation  of  the 
St.  Clair  Canal,  of  the  rivers  Yukon,  Porcupine,  and  Stikeen  in 
Alaska,   and  also,  for  twelve  years,  in  the  navigation  of  Lake 


THE   WASHINGTON   TREATY. 


371 


Michigan.  The  Americans  were  allowed  the  privilege  of  floating 
lumber  from  the  Maine  woods  down  the  river  St.  John  to  the  sea. 
f'rovision  was  made  for  the  free  transmission  of  goods  in  bond 
through  either  country.  In  other  words,  it  was  agreed  that  goods 
intended  for  the  .\merican  market  might  pass  through  (,'anadian 
territory  without  paying  toll  to  the  Canadian  custom  house,  and 
similarly,  goods  intended  for  the  Canadian  market  might  pass 
through  American  territory  without  being  stibject  to  .American 
duties. 

The  Alabama  claims  were  referred  to  arbitration.  The  arbi- 
trators met  at  Cjenova  in  the  following  year,  1872,  an'.i  decided 
that  Great  Britain  should  pay  the  United  States  the  sum  of 
$15,500,000.  This  heavy  award  Great  I'rituin  at  once  paid 
over.  .'\s  for  Canada's  Fenian  claims,  Great  iiritain  insisted  on 
their  withdrawal,  and  tht-y  were  therefore  withdrawn.  But  this 
aroused  such  indignation  in  Canada,  that,  to  quiet  the  storm, 
England  agreed  to  guarantee  a  Canadian  loan  of  ;^"2, 500,000 
in  aid  of  the  proi)osed  railway  across  the  continent,  and  for  the 
extension  of  our  canal  system. 

Thereupon  Canada  reluctantly  accepted  the  treaty.     By  this 

treaty  the  Americans  got  practically  .ill  they  demanded  ^. 

"      '  '  Dissatisfac- 

of  Canada,  while  Canada's  demands  were  foollv  thrust  tion  of 

Canada. 

aside.     But,  as   a   leading  French  Canadian  journal 
remarked,  "we  ought  perhaps  to  be  thankful  that  they  a.sked  no 
more." 

99.   Provincial  Affairs.  —  At  this  time  arose  a  difficulty  between 
Ontario  and  Quebec.     Wiien  the  two  provinces  entered  Confedera- 
tion they  had  a  large  debt  which  was  common  to  both.  Dispute 
Part  of  this  the  Dominion  government  agreed  to  assume,   tario  and*^" 
the  balance  to  be  divided  between  the  two  provinces.  '?"^*'^*=- 
The   division   was    left   to   three   arbitrators,   one   a|>pointed   by 
Quebec,  one  by  Ontario,  and  one  by  the  Dominion  government. 
But  the  two  provinces  differed  so  widely  on  the  subject  (a  differ- 
ence of  several  millions),  that  the  Quebec  arbitrator  withdrew, 
and  the  Quebec  Legislature  refused  to  be  bound  by  the  award  of 


3;2 


A    H/S70RY  OF   CAXADA. 


H 


I  i 


11 


the  others.  The  question  created  an  ang  -y  debate  in  the  t'ederal 
Parliament,  and  was  at  length  referred  for  settlement  to  tlie  law- 
courts. 

in  1871  was  taken  the  first  Dominion  census.     It  gave  Canada, 

exclusive  of  Manitoba  and  British  Columbia,  a  poi)u- 
The  first  'It 

Dominion  laiiou  ot  ?,433,ooo.'  British  (.'oluinbia  added  thirty- 
census.  ^    >^o>  J 

six  thousand,  and  Manitoba  eighteen  thousand. 
The  Maritime  Provinces  at  this  time  received  a  stimulus  in  the 
opening  of  the  European-and-North-American  Railway  between 

TheChicau"  ^"^  ^*^''"  ^"'^  Bangor.  In  October  of  this  year  the 
^^®"  ncMghbounng  re})ubUc  was  visited  wiil\  the  most  ter- 

rible conflagraLiun  of  modern  days.  The  city  of  Chicago  was 
all  but  swallowed  up  in  a  vortex  of  flame.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  people  were  left  homeless.  Canada  came  forward 
with  prompt  sympathy.  Old  grievances  were  forgotten.  Swift 
relief  trains,  laden  with  provisions  and  clothing,  sped  forward  10 
the  scene.  The  gift  of  Canada  to  Chicago  amounted  in  money 
value  to  over  a  million  dollars. 

In  New  Brunswick  a  question  came  up  which  tested  the  fairness 
of  the  Dominion  government.  The  Legislature  of  New  Bruns- 
TheNew  wick  passed  a  new  school  law,  introducing  a  liberal 
ichoon!aw  system  of  free  schools,  but  making  all  jmblic  educa- 
dispute.  ^.JQj^  non-sectarian.     The  Roman  ("atholics  urged  that 

their  contributions  to  the  school  fund  should  go  to  the  support  of 
schools  in  which  the  children  should  receive  definite  instruction 
in  the  principles  of  their  church.  They  claimed  that  they  should 
not  be  taxed  to  support  institutions  which  were  of  no  use  to  them. 
They  said  they  would  be  put  to  the  expense  of  supporting  schools 
of  their  own,  while  paying  at  the  same  time  for  the  education  of 
their  neighbours.  With  most  of  the  Protestant  churches,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  free  school  system  was  very  popular.  They  were 
willing  that  in  the  schools  their  children  should  receive  merely 


l! 


i 


1  Ontario,  1,620,851;  Quebec,  1,139,119;  No/a  Scotia,  387,800;  New  Brunswick, 
285,594-  ■ 


LORD  DUFF  ERIN. 


373 


their  secular  education,  and  look  for  religious  instruction  to  their 
homes  and  their  Sunday-schools.  W'lien  the  school  law  was 
passed  in  the  [irovincial  Legislature,  the  minority  appealed  to 
the  Dominion  government  to  tlisallow  the  bill,  on  the  ground 
that  it  violated  certain  provisions  of  the  British  North  America 
Act,  'he  government  refused  to  disallow  it,  holding  that  the 
matter  lay  entirely  within  the  powers  of  the  provincial  Legislature. 
The  (jueslion  was  appealed  to  the  courts,  and  fnially  to  the  I'rivy 
Council  of  Oreat  Britain,  where  the  New  Brunswick  School  Law 
of  1871  was  declared  constitutional. 

As  we  have  seen,  British  Columbia  had  joined  the  Dominion  on 
condition  that  a  transcontinental  railway  should  be  begun  within 
two  years  of  the  union.     \\\  1872,  therefore,  Sir  John  First  steps 
Macdonald  began  to  move  in  the  matter.     Capitalists   buUdingof 
were  soon  interested  in  the  scheme.      Two  great  com-   contTnenui 
panics  were  formed,  bidding  .igainst  each   other  for  ^'^way. 
the  right  to  build  the  railway.     One  of  these,  with  headquarters 
at  Toronto,  was  called  the  Inter-Oceanic  ;    the  dlhcr,  organized 
by  Sir  Hugh  Allan,  with  headquarters  at  Montreal,  wa>.  called  the 
Canada- Baci fie.      Both  companies  were  duly  incorporated  ;   and 
Parliament  empowered  the  government   to  contract  with  either 
company,  or  with  a  new  one,  for  the  construction    )f  the  road. 
The  terms,  as  to  cash  subsidy,  land  grants,  privilege >,  and  so 
forth,  were  laid  down  by  Parliament,  but  great  freedom  of  action 
was  left  to  the  government. 

In  1872  there  came  to  Canada  as  governor-general  one  who 
did  nuich  to  awaken  national  sentiment  and  to  endear  his  office 
to  the  people.     This  was  the  Earl  of  r)ufferin.     Tiie   ,    ,^  „ 
same  year  that  brought  Lord  Dufferin,  brought  news   O'jraesto 
that  our  Canadian  riflemen  at  Wimbledon  had  de- 
feated the  crack  shots  of  Great  Britain  and  captured  that  coveted 
trophy,  the  Kolapore  Cup. 

The  new  governor-general  had  no  sooner  entered  on  his  duties 
than  he  was  called  upon  to  dissolve  the  House,  A  general  elec- 
tion was  held  that  autumn.     Sir  John  Macdonald's  government 


374 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


:.-  if 


to 

• 

i 

was  sustained,  though  with  a  reduced  niajoritv.  It  met  with 
reverses  in  Quebec,  and  defeat  in  Ontario  ;  but  in  the  Maritime 
Provinces  its  gains  were  so  great  as  ulniOht  to  counterbalance 
these  losses.  In  Nova  Scotia  the  change  of  feehng  was  most  sig- 
nificant, as  showing  liow  thoroughly  the  province  had  accepted 
(.'onfederation.  Whereas  in  1867  she  had  elected  but  one  mem- 
ber favourable  to  union,  now  she  elected  but  one  member  in  oj)[K)- 
sition  to  the  union  government.  Manitoba  and  British  Columbia 
elected  none  but  government  candidates. 

100.  Prince  Edward  Island  joins  the  Dominion.  Change  of 
Government.  —  In  the  session  of  1873  it  was  ena-fed  by  Parlia- 
A  motion  in  ment  that  the  Dovninion  elections  shouUl  be  carried 
inipe"/ia/  ^'^  by  secret  ballot,  for  the  better  prevention  of  brib- 
Federation.  ^^^  ^^^^  election  riots.  Dining  this  session  it  was 
moved  by  Mr.  Wallace,  member  for  .Albert,  that  Cannda  should 
make  an  address  to  the  Throne  praying  for  a  federation  of  the 
empire.  The  motion  called  forth  some  important  exjjressions  of 
sympathy,  but  was  not  pressed  to  a  vote.  Canada  was  not 
inclined  to  take  up  so  tremendous  a  project ;  but  she  went  on 
vigorously  with  the  work  of  her  own  expansion.  The  island  prov- 
ince of  the  Crulf,  repenting  of  her  reserve,  now  came  into  the 
Dominion. 

.As  we  have  seen,  the  most  pressing  question  in  Prince  Edward 
Island,  running  like  an  angry  nerve  all  through  her  history,  was  the 
Prince  Ed-  question  of  the  ownership  of  the  land.  When  she 
jofnsthecon-  <^ntered  Confederation,  the  Dominion  appropriated 
federation.  ;^Soo,ooo  for  the  purpose  of  buymg  out  the  proprie- 
tors. Two  years  later  the  long  sore  was  finally  healed.  The  land 
passed  on  liberal  terms  into  the  hands  of  those  who  tilled  it.  This 
new  member  of  the  Dominion  brought  in  an  industrious  and 
thriving  population  of  ninety-four  thousand.  Canada  took  over 
the  sinuous  nanow-gauge  railway  which  forms  a  sort  of  spinal 
column  to  the  province,  and  also  undertook  to  maintain  steam- 
boat connection  between  the  island  and  the  mainland. 

The  spring  of  1873  was  darkened  by  the  loss  of  two  of  the  most 


1 


THE   PACIFIC  SCAXDAJ . 


S/3 


eminent  sons  of  Canntla.     Within  a  few  days  of  each  other  dif.'cl 

the    LMeat    French    Clanadian    statesman,   Sir   ('.eorce 

^  ^     De.'itijs  of 

Cartier  (May  20,  1873),  '^'^'-^  t"*^  great  Nova  Scotian   Canierand 

orator,  Joseph   If  owe    (June   i,  1873).      Howe  had 

been,  for  a  month  only,  heutonant-governor  of  iiis  native  province, 

of  whose  history  he  had  made  no  small  portion. 

What  is  known  as  the  Pacific  Scantlal  (1873)  is  one  of  the 
most  strii<ing  incidents  in  the  parliamentary  history  of  Canada. 
It  is  an  event  of  party,  rather  than  of  national  signifi-  The  Pacific 
cance.  The  first  muttenngs  of  the  storm  were  heard  ^''*"*'^'- 
in  April.  In  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  government,  hnding 
itself  unable  to  decide  between  the  claims  of  the  Inter-Oceanic 
Railway  Company  and  the  Canada-Pacific  Railway  Company,  and 
also  unable  to  procure  a  satisfactory  union  between  the  two  com- 
panies, chartered  a  new  one  for  the  work.  This  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Company.  Its  president 
was  Sir  Hugh  .\llan,  'he  most  successful  capitahst  and  financier  in 
Canada,  the  head  of  the  great  Allan  line  of  steamships  and  of 
many  other  institutions  which  aided  the  progress  of  the  Dominion. 
The  stock  of  the  company  was  divided  so  that  all  sections  of  the 
country,  from  Halifax  to  Victoria,  should  have  an  interest  in  it. 
About  fivc-tlurtecnths  were  held  in  Ontario,  four-thirteenths  in 
Quebec,  and  one-thirteenth  ev  ch  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  P>runswick, 
Manitoba,  and  British  Columlna.  In  April  Mr.  Huntington,  mem- 
ber for  Shefford,  arose  in  the  House  and  accused  the  government 
of  having  sold  the  charter  to  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany in  return  for  large  sums  of  money  received  from  Sir  Hugh 
Allan  to  aid  m  carrying  the  late  elections.  Mr.  Huntington  stated 
that  he  had  evidence  to  substantiate  this  grave  charG;e.  Me 
moved  for  a  committee  to  investigate  it.  The  motion  was  treated 
as  one  of  want  of  confidence,  and  voted  down.  But  the  govern- 
ment could  not  allow  itself  to  rest  under  such  an  accusation,  A 
few  days  later  Sir  John  Macdonald  himself  moved  for  a  Cxjn^rait- 
tee  of  inquiry.  A  bill  was  passed  to  enable  this  committee  to 
examine  witnesses  under  oath.     But  after  it  had  sat  for  a  time  the 


if 


■  ^ 


It 


H 


376 


A   HISTORY   OF  VAX  A  DA. 


bill  was  disallowed  by  the  Imperial  Parliament,  as  lying  b>'yond 
the  j)o\ver.s  of  the  Dominion  Legislature.  riiercu[)on  the  com- 
mittee adjourned  till  it  «-om1(1  receive  new  instructions  from  the 
House,  which  had  itself  adjourned. 

(ireat  party  bitterness  was  displayed  in  the  debates  which  this 
matter  gave  rise  to.  Duriug  the  summer  party  feeling  ran  high. 
Important  private  documents,  telegrams,  and  correspondence 
were  publislied.  The  evidence  was  conflicting,  and  therefore 
capable  of  being  t\visted  either  way  to  suit  party  ends.  Hut  as 
the  government  failed  to  clear  itself  instantly  of  tlie  charge,  it 
bore  the  stigma  of  the  doubt ;  and  the  opposition  rapidly  gained 
strength. 

Parliament  had  adjourned  at  the  end  of  May,  to  meet  again 

on  August  13th,  not  for  general  business,  but  merely  to  receive 

»,  ..  ,  the  report  of  the  committee,  which  was  ihen  to  be 
The  Macdon-  ' 

aid  govern.  printed  and  distributed  before  the  next  session.  This 
ment  resigns.       ,        ,      ,  ,  ,  ,      ,      •  ,         r     1       tt 

plan  had  been  accepted  on  both  sides  of  the  House. 

But  when  August  13th  came  the  opposition,  led  by  Alexander 
Mackenzie,  uemanded  that  the  governor-general  should  not  pro- 
rogue, but  dismiss  his  .advisers  and  summon  a  new  ministry.  Lord 
I  )ufferin,  however,  declared  that  he  could  not  disregard  the  advice 
of  his  ministers  until  they  were  proved  guilty  of  the  charge  alleged 
against  them,  or  until  he  was  convinced  that  they  no  longer  had 
the  confidence  of  the  people.  The  committee  having  no  report 
ready,  Parliament  was  therefore  prorogued.  It  still  remained  open 
for  the  one  party  to  cry  that  the  government  was  the  victim  of  a 
conspiracy.  It  still  remained  open  for  the  other  party  to  denounce 
two  or  three  leading  members  of  the  Cabinet,  the  prime  minister 
in  particular,  as  guilty  of  shameless  corruption.  Both  parties 
found  basis  for  their  views  in  the  evidence  which  had  found  its 
way  into  print.  The  government,  however,  was  weakened  by  its 
continued  delays,  which  caused  a  suspicion  that  Sir  John  Macdonald 
was  trying  to  postpone  inquiry.  Immediately  after  proroguing,  a 
royal  commission  was  appointed  by  Lord  Dufferin  to  look  into  the 
whole  matter.     The  commissioners  were  three,  —  Judge  Polette, 


MA  cnoA'A  LD  MLVISTR  }     O  VEKTllKO  IVN. 


m 


Judge  Gowan,  and  Ex-Judg--  l)ay,  chancellor  of  McGill  Univer- 
sity. Mr.  Huntington  refused  to  appear  l)efore  this  tribunal.  An 
immense  quantity  of  evidence  was  gathered,  but  the  commission- 
ers reported  by  merely  citing  this  evidence,  without  expressing  any 
opinion  as  to  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  government.  Parlia- 
ment met  again  on  October  23,  and  the  cummissioners'  report 
was  at  once  laid  before  it  by  Macdonald.  A  furious  debate  fol- 
lowed. From  the  ministerial  bench  on  tht;  one  side,  the  opposi- 
tion benches  on  the  other,  the  great  party  champions  crossed 
swords  in  flaming  controversy.  Meanwhile  t!»e  government  major- 
ity daily  grew  less.  At  length  Macdonald  saw  that  when  the  ques- 
tion came  to  a  vote  the  vote  would  be  against  him.  To  avoid 
this,  which  would  be  equivalent  to  a  verdict  of  "  guilty,"  the 
Macdonald  mnnstry  resigned.  Alexander  Mackenzie,  as  leader  of 
the  opposition,  was  at  once  summoned  by  Lord  Dutferin  to  form 
a  government.  When  the  new  ininisters  went  before  their  con- 
stituents for  reelection  they  were  almost  all  returned  without  a 
contest,  so  demoralized  were  their  opponents.  Owing  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Liberals  had  come  into  power,  Mackenzie  was  in 
haste  to  receive  the  verdict  of  the  people.  With  the  opening  of 
the  new  year  (1874)  the  House  was  dissolved,  and  writs  issued 
for  a  general  election.  This  resulted  in  an  overwhelming  victory 
for  the  Liberals,  the  people  thus  declaring  their  belief  in  the 
charges  brought  against  the  old  ministry. 

Mackenzie  now  found  himself  with  a  majority  of  over  eighty  at 
his  back.     Among  the  new  members  was  no  less  a  personage  than 
Louis  Riel,  who  had  been  elected  for  the  district  of  Provencher 
in  Manitoba.     Kiel  was  a  fugitive  from  justice,  with   TheMacken- 
an    indictment  for   murder  hanging  over  him.      But   meiu'sup-' 
secretly  he  came  to  Ottawa,  secretly  he  took  the  oath  gJeat'^maj^r- 
and  signed  the  roll,  secretly  he  withdrew  to  await  the   ^^^' 
results.     He  had  not  long  to  wait.     In  a  very  few  days  a  motion 
to  expel  him  from  the  House  was  carried  by  a  sweeping  majority. 
In  the  following  year,  being  agam  elected  for  Provencher,  he  was 
again  expelled.     At  this  tiiuf.  however,  it  wcs  decreed  that  after 


*   i 
f 


57^ 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


IW 


hi  , 


'I 

If 


1 

i 

) 

f 

f                 ; 

*      . 

1 

V 

w  ' 

1 

• 

'«     ' 

v. 

i ' 

'.' 

1  ? 

1  ] 

B 

five  years  of  banishment  the  amnesty  which  had  been  extended  to 
tlie  rest  of  the  rebels  should  be  extended  also  to  Kiel  and  his 
so-called  adjutant,  Lepine. 

D'uing    the    excitement   of  the   previous   year,  the   Canadian 
Pacific  Kail  way  Company  had  thrown  up  its  charter,  and  the  una- 
voidable delay  in  commencing  the  road  had  caused 

with  British  deep  discontent  in  British  Columbia,  rhis  discon- 
Columbia.  ,  i    .  .      ■  , 

tent  was  changed  to  anger  and  alarm  at  the  acces- 
sion of  a  ministry  whose  members  had  opposed  the  scheme  of 
a  transcontinental  railway.  These  feelings  were  not  allayed  by 
the  first  words  of  the  new  prime  minister  on  the  subject.  Uv 
declared  in  a  speech  at  Sarnia  that  while  the  spirit  of  the  agree- 
ment widi  British  Columbia  would  be  carried  out,  the  letter  of  it 
would  not  and  could  not  be.  He  brought  in  a  bill  providing  for 
the  early  cunstruction  of  parts  of  the  road,  leaving  other  parts  to 
be  built  as  the  finances  of  the  country  would  admit.  British 
Columbia  pressed  firmly  for  her  rights,  and  finally  sent  a  delegation 
to  England  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  Throne.  Lord  Carnarvon, 
the  colonial  secretary,  offered  to  act  as  arbitrator  between  the 
province  and  the  Dominion,  and  both  agreed  to  abide  by  his  de- 
cision. What  were  known  as  the  "  Carnarvon  Terms "  provided 
among  other  things  that  a  waggon  road  and  telegraph  line  should 
be  constructed  at  once  along  the  route  to  be  followed  by  the  rail- 
way ;  that  a  railwa)'  between  Esquimault  and  Nanaimo  on  Van- 
couver I,sl.Nnd  should  be  built  without  delay;  and  that  by  the 
last  day  of  December.  1S90,  the  transcontinental  line  should  be 
open  for  traffic  from  the  Pacific  to  the  western  end  of  lake  Supe- 
rior, where  it  would  connect  with  American  railways  and  Canadian 
steamship  lines.  The  remainder  of  the  line,  around  the  north  of 
lake  vSuperior,  was  to  be  left  for  construction  at  some  future  date. 
Even  with  this  relief  the  Dominion  government  delayed  the  great 
work  ;  and  British  Columbia  grew  rnore  and  more  wrathful.  Mr. 
Mackenzie  attempted  to  evade  the  ternii;  and  threats  of  secession 
grew  loud  by  the  shores  of  the  western  sea.  In  1876  Lord 
Dufferin  visited  the  provinces,  and  succeeded  m  soothing  the  just 


THE   .WlTIONAl    rOJ.ICY. 


379 


an^cr  of  the  people,  assuring  them  that  Canada  wouKl  eventually 
fulfil  her  ai^reements,  but  that  the  govcmmt-nt  hael  benn  cIkm  kcd 
by  unforeseen  obstacles.  A  little  later  contracts  were  awarded  for 
certain  sections  of  iho  road,  surveys  were  pressed  forward,  and 
some  supplies  purchased,  liut  the  f>overnrnenl  was  \\\  finaiu  ial 
difficulties,  and  British  Colunil)ia  had  yet  some  time  to  wait  ere 
her  eyes  were  gladdened  by  seeing  the  railway  fairly  imiler  way. 

10 1.  The  National  Policy.  The  Fisheries  Commission.  —  In 
1876  the  United  States  held  at  Philadelphia  a  great  world  expo- 
sition, known  as  "the  Centennial,"  to  celebrate  the  canadaatthe 
centenary  of  their  Declaration  of  Independence.  Mr.  Centennial. 
Mackenzie  was  keenly  alive  to  thf  importance  of  the  occasion,  and 
Canada  was  well  represented.  In  educational  exhibits  all  states 
and  nations  were  outdone  by  the  province  of  Ontario,  which  car- 
ried off  the  international  medal  for  this  department,  and  supplied 
examples  to  the  civilized  world.  I'his  was  an  object  lesson  in  the 
civilization  and  intellectual  progress  of  Canada.  Our  fruit  exhibit, 
too,  outstripped  all  rivals,  and  astonished  the  many  who  had 
thought  of  Canada  as  a  land  of  semi-Arctic  rigour. 

The  session  of  1876  was  made  memorable  by  the  introduction 
of  a  policy  which  two  years  later  was  to  take  Canada  by  storm  and 
carry  the  Liberal-Conservatives  back  to  ]jower.  This  The  growth 
was  what  is  known  as  the  National  I'olicy,  or,  more  melitlor'" 
familiarly,  the  N.  P.  It  was  voted  down  by  Parlia-  P'<>^ection. 
tnent.  with  its  large  Liberal  majorit}  ;  but  it  caught  the  i-  ir  of  the 
people.  All  classes  were  growint;;  restless  under  a  prolonged 
depression  in  trade.  The  revenues  were  shrinking ;  there  was  a 
yearly  increasing  deficit ;  and  men  were  just  in  the  mood  to 
hearken  to  the  policy  now  proposed  by  Sir  John  Macdonald.  The 
watchword  of  this  policy  was  "  Canada  for  the  Canadians."  Its 
principle  was  the  fixing  of  such  a  tariff  as  would  not  only  yield  a 
revenue  but  also  afford  protection  to  national  industries,  fhe 
question  which  from  that  day  to  this  has  most  agitated  Canadian 
politics  has  been  the  fiscal  one.  The  tariff  we  must  always  have 
with  us ;  but  whether  it  shall  be  a  tariff  for  revenue  purposes  only, 


38o 


//   HISTORY  Ot'   CANADA. 


}      \ 


\ 


9r  w  f 


t    \ 
I 


or  one  for  <  ombinrd  revenue  and  i^rolecrion,  is  a  point  on  which 
the  two  great  ])arties  divide.  The  tendency  of  the  Liberals, 
allowing  for  certain  restriints,  is  toward  out-and-out  free  trade  ; 
wliile  that  of  the  I  iLeral-Conservatives  is  toward  frank  protection. 
Dominion  Day  of  this  year  was  fitly  celebrated  by  the  opening  of 
that  great  bond  between  the  Maritime  and  Upper  Trovinces,  the 
Intercolonial  Railway. 

This  ()eriod  which  we  have  been  considering  was  one  of  "  hard 
time-i "  for  almost  all  the  civilized  world,  a  period  of  commercial 
TheSt.  joiui  panics,  lack  of  enterprise,  scarcity  of  money,  dulness 
^"^  of  trade.      In  Canada  the  depression  was  increased 

by  the  blow  which  now  fell  on  the  busy  city  of  St.  John.  On 
June  20,  1877,  The  city  was  almost  wiped  out  of  exi.stence  by  a  fire 
second  only  to  that  of  Chicago.  In  one  night  of  horror,  while 
the  re«l,  bellying  curtain.s  of  the  smoke  enclosed  the  doomed  city 
and  her  blazing  ships,  no  less  than  sixteen  hundred  buildings  were 
devoured,  two  hundred  acres  of  populous  streets  laid  waste.  For 
the  sufferers  relief  came  pouring  in.,  from  every  city,  town,  and 
village  of  Canada  ;  and  generous  aid  was  rendered  by  the  mother 
country  and  tlie  sister  republic.  Four  months  later  the  adjoin- 
ing town  of  Portland,  sejiarated  from  St.  John  only  by  the  wiiith 
of  a  city  street,  suffered  a  like  file.  But  the  people  set  bravely 
to  the  task  of  repairing  their  shattered  fortunes  ;  and  St.  John  has 
risen  from  her  ruins  more  stately  and  beautifiil  than  before. 

The  Treaty  of  Washington,  as  has  been  said,  had  provided  for 
the  apix)inlment  of  a  commission  to  settle  the  amount  of  com- 
pensation due  to  Canada  for  the  use  o."  her  fisheries.  The  matter 
had  not  been  pressed  by  Canada.,  ac  Ir  ng  as  there  was  hope  of  a  re- 
vival of  the  Reciprocity  Treaty.  The  government  had  sent  Ceorge 
iJrown  to  Washington  to  seek  such  a  treaty,  on  the  basis  of  Canada 
giving  up  her  fisheries  claim.  But  reciprocity  the  .'\merican  gov- 
ernment would  not  hear  ol".  The  Americans  feared  that  Canada 
would  gain  too  much  by  it ;  and  they  hoped  that  without  it  a 
feeling  for  annexation  wotild  spring  up. 

Mr.  Ma;-.kenzie  now  determined  to  assert  the  rights  of  ('anada. 


,     I 


i    i 


77//;   l.ETEl.UER   CASE 


381 


In  1S77,  at  Ills  urgent  di'inand,  .1  rommission  of  tlirc*;  nictiihers 

were  appointed, one  for  ( Jrcat  Mritain,  one  for  the  Unilc-d  States, 

and  a  third  ai:rf'  d  upon  by  the  other  two.     This  inipar- 
....  w  IV  ,r  ,.   ,    •  .  The  Halifax 

Hal  arbitrator  was  Monsieur  Delfosse,  lifii'ian  inini'^-    fisheries 

AWArd 

ter  to  Washington.  'I'ho  Amerii:aii  commissioner  was 
the  Hon.  K.  II.  Kellog.  In  view  of  the  manner  in  whidi  Brit- 
ish conniiissioners  had  so  often  sacrificed  (.'ariidian  intcrest.s  in 
order  10  fivour  America,  Mr.  Mackenzie  insisted  that  the  Hritish 
commissioner  in  this  case  should  he  a  (".ina<iian;  and  Sir  Alex- 
ander (>alt  was  appointed  to  the  office.  The  Canailian  claim  was 
$14,500,(100  for  the  use  of  the  fisheiie.s  for  the  whole  twelve  years 
designated  in  the  Treaty  of  Washington,  six  of  whit  h  had  already 
passed.  Tlie  .American  claim  was  that  (Janada  had  gained  so 
many  privileges  by  the  Treaty  of  Washington  that  she  wa.s  entitled 
to  nothing  in  return  for  her  lisiieries.  Finilly,  after  the  examina- 
tion (.)!"  many  documents  and  statistics,  it  was  derided  bv  two  of 
the  commissioners  that  the  United  States  should  pay  $5,500,000. 
The  American  commissioner  ])rotested,  ami  Congress  lor  a  time 
refused  to  abide  by  the  decision.  At  length,  however,  the  Ameri- 
cans grew  ashamed  of  their  attitude.  Reluctantly,  and  with  much 
grumbling,  the  Halifax  award  w:is  paid  over. 

At  this  time  a  troublesome  'juestion  arose  in  Quebec.  The 
provincial  government  was  Conservative,  with  a  strong  majority 
behind  it  ;  while  the  i)rovincial  governor  was  I.etellier  LeteUierde 
de  .St.  Just,  a  prominent  Liberal.  There  soon  came  ^*^J"^^ 
war  between  the  governor  and  his  ministry.  At  last  the  governor 
vAcnt  so  far  as  to  dismiss  the  ministry,  declaring  that  they  had 
slighted  his  authority,  and  that  they  no  longer  had  the  confidence 
of  the  people.  He  summoned  the  leader  of  the  opposition  to 
form  a  new  government.  The  Assembly,  supporting  the  old  gov- 
ernment, passed  votes  of  censure  on  the  new,  and  refused  to  vote 
supplies.  The  governor  thereupon  dissolved  the  House,  and 
called  for  a  new  election  ;  and  the  people  sui)ported  his  arbitrary 
act  by  giving  a  large  majority  to  the  new  government.  In  the 
Dominion  Parliament  the  ojiposition,  led  by  Sir  John  Macdonald, 


382 


;  iirsroRY  or  <a.\'j/)'1. 


I 


•  I 


'1 


f  . 


loudly  (leinanderl  the  removal  of  St.  Just.  HuL  Mr.  Mackenzie 
went  warily  in  I  he  matter.  Me  was  by  no  me. ins  ready  to  approve 
of  St.  just's  action,  but  he  cnncludcd  that  it  was  unnecessary  to 
take  any  notice  of  it.  In  this  decision  he  was  supported  by 
Parliament.  In  the  following  year,  liowever,  when  Sir  John  M.io 
donald  had  returned  to  power,  (lovernor  St.  Just  n-a^  removed 
from  office,  —  but  not  before  rhe  colonial  secretary  had  been 
consulted  on  this  delicate  question. 

The  great  political  event  ot  1878  was  a  general  election.  'I'he 
cry  of  "Canada  for  the  Canadians  "  proved  one  to  conjure  with. 
TheMacken-  1  he  idea  of  a  "National  Policy,"  with  protection  to 
meiu°de-""  national  industries,  was  alluring  to  a  people  just  begin- 
feated.  pjj,^g  ^^^  reali.-^e  their  national  existence.     The  Liberal 

party  was  amazed  to  meet  with  just  such  an  utter  overthrow  as 
that  which  they  had  brought  upon  their  opponents  five  years 
before.  Mackenzie  and  his  Cabinet  resigned,  and  Macdonald  led 
his  triumphant  j^arty  Lack  to  the  government  benches. 

'I'hat  autumn  Lord  Dufferin  left  Canada,  venerated  and  re- 
gretted  by  every   one.      He   had  visited    every  quarter   of  tlie 

Dominion  ;  had  conciliated  every  interest ;  had  taught 
Lord  Duffenn  '  j  y  i^ 

leaves  the  remotest  provinces  to  reali/e  and  glory  in  their 

Canada  *      •^ 

union.  'I'he  difficult  task  of  filling  his  place  was  con- 
fided to  Lord  Lome  and  his  wife  the  Princess  Louise,  a  daughter 
of  the  Queen. 

Soon  after  the  accession  of  the    Macdonald   government   the 

National  Policy  was  put  in  force  and  the  iluties  on  imports  greatly 

increased-     That  great  enterprise  which  had  proved 

Policy  SI)  disastrout   to   the    Liberal-Conservatives   in    187^, 

rstablished  ' '' 

again  engaged  their  concern.  The  Mackenzie  min- 
istry had  determined  to  build  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
as  a  government  work.  At  the  time  of  their  resignation  the 
Pembina  branch,  and  some  other  sections  of  the  road,  were  under 
construction.  The  new  ministry  reverted  to  their  old  policy,  and 
in  1880  handed  the  work  over  to  a  company.  This  company  was 
chiefly  made  up  of  Mi>ntreal  capitalists,  and  was  known  as  the 


■■;$ 


SECOND  DOM  J  A  ION   ChASHS. 


383 


Canadian  Pacific  Railway  Syndicate.  Of  the  terms  on  which  the 
syndicate  aiuiertook  the  work,  and  of  thf  vig(nir  with  which  they 
c.irrieil  it  to  an  unparalleled  success,  we  shall  read  in  anotlier 
chapter. 

The  second  Dominion  census  was  held  in  1881.     It  showed  a 
pc^jiulition  of  4,324,810.'     A  portion  of  the  gain  was  <luc  tu  the 

admission  of   I'rmcc   Fulward  Island.     The  most  re- 

The  .second 

muvkable  increase  was  in  Manitoba  and  the   North-   Dominion 

census. 

west,  where  immigration   had    brought    up  the   total 

population  to  122,400.  An  increase  for  the  whole  Dominion  of 
over  eight  hundred  thousand  in  ten  years  was  not  rapid,  but  it 
represented  substantial  growth.  It  was  entirely  ma.le  up  of  choice 
material,  and  was  accompanied  by  an  immensely  greater  increase 
in  wealth.  It  owed  nothing  to  pau]}er  immigration,  and  con- 
tained none  of  the  refuse  of  older  countries. 


'  QiK'hi'c,  1,359,027;  Ontario.  1,924,228;  Nova  Scotia,  440,572;  New  Brunswick, 
321,233:  I'rince  Edward  I.sland,  108.891;  Manitol«i,  65,954;  Britisli  Columbia, 
49.4.5yi   Noith-west  Tcriitory,  55,446. 


CHAPTKR    XXV. 


102,    Causes    leading 


SECTIONS  : 

Reurllion.     103,  THE   Saskatchewan  Kehki.liun 
Canadian  I'acific  Railway. 


TO    THE    Saskatchewan 


104,    THE 


(5rowth  of 
I  tie  North- 
west. 


102.  Causes  leading  to  the  Saskatchewan  Rebellion.  —  As  wc 
have  seen,  the  suppre.ssion  of  Kiel's  reliellion  and  the  orgnnizati^i, 
of  Manitoba  were  the  signal  for  an  influx  i.)f  irarnigiaiion.  The 
new  province  received  an  Assembly  ot  t\v*nat)-four  nieinbors,  and 
a  Legislative  Council  of  seven  nieinbers.  'this  latter  body  wa.s 
.soon  abolished,  and  one  House  nuw  serves  the  legislative  needs 
of  M;uiiioba.     In  this  she  follows  the  example  of  Ontario. 

When  the  rebellion  was  put  down,  many  of  the  half  breeds  were 
Muwilhng  to  submit  to  the  new  authority.  Sullenly  they  witlidrew 
to  the  further  west,  seeking  a  fullei-  free.loin  along  the 
shores  of  the  Saskatchewan.  In  their  place  came  the 
Ontario  and  other  eastern  ]>ioneers,  journeying  around 
by  the  south  of  the  Lakes  and  through  Minnesota  as  far  as  Ameri- 
can railways  could  carry  them.  Then  their  long  canvas-covered 
emigiMut  waggons  hud  four  hundred  miles  to  crawl  through  the 
black  mud  of  the  prnirie  trails,  ere  they  found  themselves  on  those 
exhaustless  wheat-laiids  which  their  industry  was  soon  to  make 
finious.  The  land  was  granted  on  the  most  liberal  terms,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  iu  res  free  to  every  homesteader,  and  as  many 
more  at  a  merely  nominal  price.  The  immigration  from  Europe 
was  chiefly  of  m^rthern  stock,  —  Scandinavian,  British.  Oerman,  and 
Icelandic.  I'hese  latter  began  to  come  in  1875,  and  have  found  in 
our  .Vorth-west  a  far  more  congenial  soil  and  clime  than  those  of 
their  Arctic  island.     In  the  previous  year  came  an  interesting  band 

384 


f    ^ 


GROWTH  OF   THE  NORTH-WEST, 


3«: 


of  pioneers,  the  Mt-nnonites  of  southern  Russia.  Those  people 
were  originally  ( Germans.  They  formed  a  sect  akin  in  religious 
views  to  the  Quakers,  and  distinguished  by  the  practice  of  commu- 
nism. For  their  pence  principles  they  had  left  (Germany  and  fled  to 
Russia.  When  military  service  was  there  demanded  of  them,  they 
took  refuge  in  our  North-west,  where  their  doctrines  are  nut  inter- 
fered with.  They  numbered  nearly  six  thousand  when  they  came  ; 
and  their  thrift  and  industry  have  made  their  settlement  one  of 
the  most  prosperous  in  the  province.  In  their  footsteps,  as  to  a 
land  of  promise  whose  rumour  has  gone  abroad,  have  flocked 
Scotch  "Crofters"  from  their  loved  but  barren  highlands,  and 
found  on  the  prairies  Highland  names  and  Highland  faces  to 
welcome  them.  A  few  refugees  from  Poland,  a  few  adventurous 
Hungarians,  have  also  found  their  way  into  the  North-wesi  :  and 
many  French  Canadians,  having  left  their  native  Quebec  for  tin* 
factory  towns  of  New  England,  have  sought  again  the  Maple  Leaf 
Land  and  made  themselves  new  homes  in  Manitoba. 

All  this  immigration  was  by  no  means  confined  to  the  new 
province.  It  spread  westward  and  north-westward,  Jt  sought 
the  valley  of  the  Saskatchewan,  whither  the  angry  half- 

The  ScISKAl- 

breeds   had  already  show;i  the  way.      It  sought  the   rhewandis- 

How  and   Belly  rivers,   e\en   to   the  foot-hills  of  the 

Rockies.     It  sought  the  Athaha>:ca  and  the  Peace,  and  won^lered 

u  the  mild  skies  overhanging  these  northern  floods.  iMir  the 
govc/ning  of  these  vast  domain^,  tlie  region  was  divided  into  two 
distticts.  'i'he  western  district  retained  the  name  of  the  North- 
wcit  Territory,  and  was  given  a  governor  and  council  of  its  own. 

Ihe  eastern  section  was  called  Keewatin,  and  was  attached  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  Manitoba.  This  is  still  the  country  of  the  fur- 
trader,  harsh  of  climate,  meagre  of  soil,  but  rich  in  fish  and  game. 
To  protect  the  settlers^  enforce  the  laws,  prevent  the  selling  of 
whiskey  to  the  Indians,  and  keep  these  latter  in  oriler,  a  body 
known  as  the  North-west  Mounted  Police  was  establi^^hed.  It 
constitutes  a  little  standing  army  in  the  North-west,  and  has 
earned  a  splendid  reputation  for  efficiency. 
2  c 


386 


.4    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


w 


% 


If 


A  few  years  Vdttr  the  growth  of  the  North-west  Territory  seemed 
to  call  for  a  fiirllier  flivision.  In  1882  it  was  cut  up  into  tlie  dis 
tricts  of  Assiiiiboia,  Alberta,  Saskatchewan,  and  Athabasca,  llicse 
distiic;ts,  however,  rem;)ined  under  one  territorial  government  as 
before.  This  government  has  its  headquarters  at  Regina,  in  the 
district  of  Assiniboia. 

But  the  peaceful  growth  of  the  North-west  was  doomed  to  a 

rude  interru|:)tion.     The  turbulence  which  had  convulsed  Mani- 

«.u  ^  ,.  I'lL    ""1  the  hour  of  birth  was  to  break,  out  with  two- 
The  half- 
breeds  and  fold     ■  '  •'  -e  en  the  Saskatchewan,  and  to  give  Canada 
Indians  ° 
averse  to  that  i.)o     binding  of  baptisms,  a  baptism  in  the  biood 
settlement  °             f           >          t 

ol  her  son.i>     The  causes  which  led  to  t)ie  Saskatclje- 

wan  rebellion,  sometnnes  known  as  Ritl's  Second  Rising,  are  not 
far  to  seek.  Both  Indians  and  half-breeds  were  growing  yearly 
more  discontented,  a.s  the  herds  of  bison,  on  which  they  had  so 
long  relied  for  support,  vanished  before  the  rising  wave  of  settle- 
ment. Of  old  the  bison  had  traversed  the  plains  in  such  myriads 
thai  the  land  would  be  blackened  to  the  horizon  with  their  furry 
and  rolling  forms.  Indians  and  halfbreeds,  mounted  on  their 
active  ponies,  unterrified  by  the  tossing  horns  and  savage  eyes, 
would  hang  like  wasps  to  the  skirts  of  the  herd,  shooting  down 
their  victims  till  night  stayed  the  slaughter.  The  beef  thus  secured 
so  abundantly  was  dried  and  pounded  into  "  pemmican."  The 
hides  were  sold  to  traders  and  whiskey  smugglers,  and  purchased 
the  means  for  many  a  wild  revel.  It  was  not  to  be  expected  that 
the  primitive  people  of  the  plains  should  view  with  love  the  civili- 
zation which  thus  checked  their  license,  or  the  name  of  Canada, 
which  re|)resented  that  civilization. 

13ut  there  weie  other  influences  at  work.     The  half-breeds  who 
had  stayed  in  Manitoba  had  received  patents  securing  to  them 

their  grants  of  land.     To  the  half-breeds  on  the  Sas- 
Delay  in  ° 

granting         katchewan  these  i^ateuts  had  not  been  issued,  though 

title-deeds  '  - 

to  the  half-      thev  had  more  than  once  petitioned  for  them.      As 

breeds. 

long  as  they  were  witlio\it  their  patents,  or  title-deeds, 

they  dreaded  lest  their  lands  should  be  snatched  from  them  by 


THE  RETURN   OF  RIEL. 


387 


\ 


I 


speculators,  of  whom  the  North-west  was  full.  The  land  question 
has  always  lieen  one  in  which  men  were  quick  to  draw  sword; 
and  the  excilement  of  the  Mt^tis,  or  half-breeds,  gradually  rose  to 
the  boiling-point  as  the  Dominion  government,  too  busy  or  too 
indifferent,  continued  to  hold  back  the  patents.  Further,  there 
was  a  general  dissatisfaction,  in  some  degree  shared  by  the  new 
.settlers,  over  the  absence  of  representation  and  the  autocratic 
powers  of  the  governor, 

As  the  anger  grew,  all  unheeded  at  Ottawa,  the  half-breeds 
turned  their  eyes  toward  Riel,  who  dwelt  in  exile  ui  Montana. 

That  he  was  powerful  they  were  convinced,  for  had 

Riel  leturns 
not  his  rebellion  gained  the  Manitoba  half-breeds  the  to  lead  the 

half-breeds, 
land-titles  which  they  wanted ;  and  had  not  the  gov- 
ernment been  afraid  to  punish  him  for  the  execution  of  Scott? 
They  prayed  him  to  come  over  and  hel[)  them.  His  time  of 
banishment  having  passed,  the  old  agitator  lent  an  ear  to  the 
appeal.  At  lirst  liis  counsels  were  moderate.  The  memory  of 
his  ancient  f.\ilure  and  its  consequences  stood  grimly  before  his 
eyes.  He  organized  petitions  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  North- 
west. He  went  to  work  in  a  constitutional  way ;  agitating  indeed, 
but  only,  it  seemed,  as  might  any  loyal  politician.  At  the  same 
time,  as  his  influence  over  the  half-breeds  deepened,  as  his  power 
spread  abroad  over  the  Indians  on  their  scattered  reserves,  a 
muttering  of  secession  was  heard.  Once  more  the  fanatic  was 
letting  himself  be  carried  away  by  his  vanity.  Once  more  the 
dreams  of  a  madman  were  inflaming  his  brain.  He  began  to  call 
himself  t!ie  Liberator.  He  claimed  a  divine  mission  ;  and  spoke 
confidently  of  bringing  the  whole  of  the  North-west  under  his  sway. 
The  priests,  when  they  saw  that  Riel  meant  violence,  threw  all 
tlieir  influence  against  him,  but  he  retorted  by  declaring  his 
authority  in  spiritual  matters  higher  than  theirs ;  and  so  enslaved 
were  the  half-breeds  by  his  eloquence  that  they  listened  to  him, 
and  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  their  Church.  People  who  knew  the 
territories  took  alarm ;  but  to  the  older  provinces  all  suggestion  of 
danger  seemed  Hke  an  idle  tale  or  party  clap-trap.     As  the  spring 


w 

if 


^,88 


A    niS'I  OKY  OF  CANADA. 


I 


of  I.S85  (Irc'.v  neai,  arixifty  deepened  on  the  Saskatchewim.  Tlu' 
Indians  ht.-g.an  t(.)  IciiAc  their  reservi^s.  'J'he  half-hreeds  won.' 
gathering  ai  i!atoche,  where  Kiel  had  his  headfjuarters.  In  Man.h 
the-  citizens  of  I'rince  Aihert  organized  a  voluiiteer  battahon,  and 
put  their  lovvn  in  a  position  of  defence.  Then  came  the  fight  at 
Duck  Lake.  Over  Canada  flashed  the  news  tliat  Canadian  troops 
had  been  attacked  by  rebels  in  the  North-west,  and  beaten  back 
witli  loss.     Tiie  Saskatchewan  rebellion  had  begim. 

103.  The  Saskatchewan  Rebellion.  —  Had  the  reljeliion  been 
a  rising  of  the  half-breeds  only,  there  would  have  been  no  great 
cause  for  alarm.  Brave  and  skilful  fighters  as  these  men  were  to 
prove  themsel'  '^  s  they  were  comparatively  few  in  number.  But  the 
The  Indians  i'^'^'  peril  of  the  crisis  lay  in  the  1  Indians.  Of  these  there 
andiuei.  ^^^^^  perhaps  thirty-five  thousand  scattered  over  Mani 

to!;a  and  the  'ort',  v^st.  Most  of  iht-se,  notably  the  great  tribes 
of  the  Crees  and  the  Ojibways,  were  disposed  to  be  friendly  to 
the  white  men.  fiut  they  were  under  a  lot  of  petty  chiefs,  some 
true,  some  treaclierous;  and  all  were  more  or  less  restless  owing 
to  the  scarcity  of  food.  Farther  west,  towards  the  Rockies,  were 
the  warlike  Blackteet  tribes,  under  a  redoubtable  old  chief  named 
Crow-foot.  With  all  these  tribes  Riel  had  been  tampering.  He 
told  them  he  would  drive  the  Canadians  out  of  the  country  and 
set  up  a  new  rule,  under  which,  if  they  would  help  him,  the 
Indians  should  see  a  return  of  their  old  prosperity.  Some  of 
the  i^hiefs  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  these  blandishments,  l)ecause  they 
realized  that  the  government  at  Ottawa  could  reach  out  a  long 
and  terrible  arm.  Other:.,  however,  were  inclined  to  go  on  the 
war-path,  and  only  awaited  the  encouragement  of  a  rebel  success. 
Among  these,  the  most  pronunent  was  a  turbulent  chief  named 
Big  Bear,  who  later  became  inflmious  for  the  Frog  Lake  massacre. 
He  had  but  lately  and  reluctantly  signed  the  treaty  with  the  gov- 
ernment, and  betaken  himself,  with  his  bond,  to  the  re.serves  oi 
the  North  Saskatchewan.  He  acted  as  Riel's  agent  among  the 
tribes;  and  on  the  first  outbreak  of  hostilities  he  hastened  t<. 
draw   the    knife.     .Another   Indian  prominent  in  the  rising  was 


DUCK  LAKE 


389 


tss. 
led 
Ire. 

jv- 


w 


Poiindmaktr,  a  Cree  chieftain  of  i^real  ability,  and  more  humane 
than  his  fellows,  who  had  always  heen  reganled  as  friendly  to  the 
whites.  It  is  by  no  means  certain,  indeed,  that  Ponndinaker 
would  have  taken  any  pait  had  ht;  not  been  first  attacked.  But 
the  threat  that  hung  over  the  North-west  was  that  of  fire  and  the 
scalping-knife  in  every  little  defenceless  settlement,  in  every 
solitary  cabin,  —  it  was  all  the  jiameless  horrors  of  an  Indian 
war. 

Throughout  March  events  ripened  swiftly.  In  scattered  posts 
the  stores  were  seized,  and  lonely  settlers  were  robbed  of  arms  and 
ammunition.  On  March  i8th  Riel,  who  had  heard  Rieiinopen 
a  rumour  tiiat  Great  Britain  was  on  the  verge  of  a  '■e^'eiiion. 
war  with  Russia,  boldly  threw  off  the  mask.  In  the  village  of 
Batoche,  the  centre  of  extensive  Mdtis  settlements,  he  assumed 
authority  and  proclaimed  his  mission.  There  were  a  few  loyal 
Canadians  settled  in  the  village,  and  these  he  at  once  arrested. 
Having  superseded  the  priests,  he  took  the  village  church  for  a 
storehouse,  and  afterwards  for  a  prison.  He  organized  a  council, 
sent  out  scouting  parties  to  capture  supplies,  and  consigned  his 
military  affairs  to  one  Gabriel  Duniont,  a  brave  and  skilful  buffalo 
hunter  whom  he  made  his  adjutant-general.  The  first  object 
of  Dumont's  attention  was  the  little  village  of  Duck  l.ake,  or 
Stobari. 

The  two  great  rivers  known  as  the  North  Branch  and  South 
Branch  of  the  Sa^katc  hewan  flow  together  at  the  Forks,  and  then 
roll  their  united  current  to  Lake  Winnipeg.  For  more  xhe  flght  at 
than  a  hundred  miles  above  the  Forks  the  two  streams  ^"<^''^*''«' 
nm  nearly  parallel  to  each  other,  at  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty 
miles.  On  the  North  Branch,  some  thirty  miles  west  of  the 
Forks,  stood  the  thriving  little  town  of  Prince  Albert,  the  ct^ntre 
of  the  white  population.  Fifty  miles  above  Prince  Albert  stood 
Carleton,  a  fortified  post  of  the  Mounted  Police,  with  half-a-dozen 
houses  grouped  about  it.  On  the  South  Branch,  twenty  miles 
straight  across  country  from  Carleton,  lay  Batoche,  and  between 
them  the  settlement  of  Duck  Lake,  a  handful  of  small  log-houses. 


^^^v 


•»  ■ 

1 


Y 


390 


A  HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


Here  were  stored  provisions,  arms,  and  ammunition,  which  the  half- 
breeds  went  out  to  seize.  It  happened  about  the  same  time  that 
Major  Crozier,  the  officer  in  command  at  Carletoii,  st-nt  a  bmall 
party  in  sleighs  on  the  same  errand.  He  had  heard  of  Kiel's 
doing;  at  Batoche  and  hoped  to  prevent  the  supplies  IVom  tailing; 
into  rebel  hands.  As  this  party  ap[)roache(.l  Duck  Lake  they 
found  tlie  half-breeds  alreaily  in  possession,  and  were  turned  back 
by  Duniont  with  threats  and  indigniiies.  I'his  was  on  the  :?6th  of 
March.  They  hastened  back  to  Carleton  ;  and  at  nee  a  stronger 
forcf ,  consisting  of  eighty  Mounted  I'olice  and  Prince  Albert 
Volunteers,  was  despatched  to  avenge  the  insult,  A  little  way 
from  the  village  they  were  stopped  by  Dumont.  During  the  par- 
ley that  followed,  the  half-breeds  b(.gan  occujiying  the  bushes 
on  both  sides  of  the  road.  Our  troojjs  at  once  spread  out  to 
keep  themselves  from  being  surrounded,  and  in  a  moment  the 
firing  had  l)egun.  It  was  sharp  bush-fighting,  and  was  maintaircd 
for  nearly  an  hour.  Our  men,  however,  were  ill-placed,  being  on 
lower  ground,  and  they  were  heavily  outnumbered  by  the  foe. 
Seeing  himself  at  such  a  disadvantage,  Crozier  ordered  a  retreat. 
The  men  flung  themselves  on  to  their  horses  or  into  their  sleighs, 
pausing  only  to  snatch  up  their  wounded,  and  fled  from  that  cul- 
de-sac  where  every  l)nsh  blazed  death.  The  Canadian  loss  was 
twelve  killed  and  seven  wounded.  The  skirmish  had  the  effect 
of  awakening  the  white  settlers  to  their  peril,  and  convincing 
them  of  the  powers  of  the  halfbreeds.  It  brought  many  Indians 
out  upon  the  war-path,  anii  exalted  the  fame  of  Kiel.  But  at  the 
same  time  it  sealed  the  arch-rebel's  doom  ;  for  it  lighted  a  fire  in 
the  older  provinces  which  only  his  blood  could  quench. 

At  the  first  news  of  Kiel's  rising,  a  small  force  had  been  sent 
from  Winnipeg  to  help  the  Mounted  Police.     This  detachment 

consisted  of  the  ooth  Rifles,  and  a  portion  of  the 
Canadian 

troops  start      Winnipeg  l^'ield  Battery.     When  the  grim  ti.dings  of 
for  the  scene.    ^^      ,     ,   \         ,    ■„    ,  ,  •  ,  „      r     , 

Du<;k   Lake  thrilled  over  the  wires,  the  call  of  the 

government  for  troops  met  an  instant  response.     All  over  Canada 
the  volunteers  sprang  to  arms.     Within  three  days  of  the  news, 


POINTS    THREATENED  BY    THE  REBELS. 


391 


Cfaadian  troops  from  Queber,  Montreal,  Kingston,  Toronto,  and 
the  martial  "Midlands"  of  Ontario  were  on  their  way  to  the 
front.  The  leadership  of  the  North-west  campaign  was  in  the 
hands  of  General  Middleton,  coamiander-in-chief  of  the  Cana- 
dian forces.  The  troops  were  carried  to  within  two  or  three 
hundred  miles  of  the  scene  of  revolt  by  the  Canatlian  Pacific 
Railway,  then  approaching  completion.  There  were  long  gaps  in 
the  road,  over  which  our  raw  battalions  marched  with  an  indiffer- 
ence to  hardship  which  won  the  praise  of  their  veteron  leader. 
By  April  9th  the  Toronto  troops,  consisting  of  C  Company 
Canadian  Regulars,  the  Queen's  Own  Rifles,  the  Royal  Grena- 
diers, the  Governor-General's  Foot  Guards,  and  the  company  of 
cavalry  known  as  the  Governor-General's  Body  Guard,  had 
marched  to  Qu'Appelle,  where  the  Winnipeg  contingent  was 
awaiting  them.  Here,  as  the  nearest  point  on  the  railway  to 
the  rebel  centre  at  Batoche,  Middleton  established  his  base  of 
operations. 

Meanwhile    the   rebellion   was    spreading    all    up    the   North 
Saskatchewan  valley.     It  threatened  three  main  points,  —  Prince 

Albert,  the  town  of  Battleford  at  the  mouth  of  Battle  „^    ^„ 
'  The  chief 

River,  and  the  settlement  about  Fort   Pitt,  between  points 

threatened. 
Battleford  and  Edmonton.     Prince  Albert,  in  hourly 

dread  of  a  half-breed  advance  from  Batoche,  had  a  garrison  of 
Mounted  Police  and  Volunteers  behind  its  improvised  ramparts  of 
cordwood.  Battleford  was  threatened  by  hungry  bands  of  Stony 
and  Crcr  warriors,  whose  nominal  chief,  however,  the  famous 
Poundmaker,  kept  strictly  to  his  reserve,  some  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, and  professed  to  lend  no  aid  or  countenance  to  the  maraud- 
ers. The  town  was  in  two  divisions,  the  Old  Town  on  a  low  flat 
lying  south  of  Battle  River,  and  the  New  Town  on  a  shoulder  of 
elevated  prairie  between  this  ruin  and  the  Saskatchewan.  In  the 
New  Town,  within  and  around  the  fort,  clustered  the  terrified 
townsfolk,  while  the  savages  looted  and  burned  at  will  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  Closer  to  the  fort  they  dared  not  come, 
having  a  wholesome  awe  of  its  one  little  cannon.     The  position  of 


392 


.7    Ui^nORY   OF  <:.\i\ADA. 


f     . 


:«.  •' 


the  settlers  was  desperate.     The  telegraph  wires  heinf^  (iit,  they 

were  shut.  ctT  utterly  troni  the  worM,  ami  knew  not  how  general 

was  the    loilian    rising,   or  how  sooa  the    sava;^'(>    rni;jjit    come 

down  upon  them  in  force.      An   Indian  instru«;tor  and  a  loiudy 

ranchman,  far  out  on  one  of  the  trails,  were  murdered  in  <()ld 

blood.  • 

But  the  cruelest  tragedy  of  the  whole  rising  took  pi. ice  near 

Fort  Pitt,      just  beyond  the   fort  was  Big  Bear's  n^serve  ;    and 

^^  „  l>eyond  the  reserve  the  little  setdcnent  q{  Frot.'  lake, 

The  Frog  ^  ^'  ' 

Lake  mail  in  a  recess  t)f  the  Mcose  Hills.  On  April  2nd  a 
sacre. 

strong  party  of  Bilj  Hears  !)raves,  under  a  chief  called 

Travelling  vSpirit,  came  to  Frog  Fake.  .After  parleying  awhile 
with  ()uinn,  the  Indian  agent.  the\  disumed  the  hanilful  of 
settlers,  on  pretence  of  avoiding  a  quarrel.  .Suddenly ,  ami  with- 
out warning,  the  now  helples-.  settlers  were  shot  down  wherever 
they  stood.  Two  heroic  priests,  Father  Fafard  and  Father  Mar- 
chand,  were  butchered  while  striving  to  defend  their  flocks,  A 
few  Wood  Crees  and  half-breeds  who  were  present  tried  to  pre- 
vent the  atrocity,  but  in  vain.  They  succeeded  \\\  saving  one 
man,  tHe  Hudson  Bay  Company's  agent ;  and  the  half-breeds 
gave  Big  Bear  their  horses  to  ransom  the  women  who  had 
been  captured.  These  women,  with  some  prisoners  afterward.s 
taken  by  Big  Bear,  owed  their  lives  to  the  Wood  Crees  and  half- 
breeds,  who  protected  them  and  treated  them  with  kindness. 
After  the  massacre  the  bodies  of  the  victims  were  mutilated,  and 
then  thrown  into  the  wrecked  houses  to  burn  ;  and  the  Indians 
feasted  and  danced  for  three  days  on  the  scene  of  outrage. 

From  Frog  Fake  they  moved  against  Fort  Pitt.  Tliis  post, 
called  by  courtesy  a  fort,  was  but  a  few  log-houses  arranged  in 
a  hollow  square,  with  no  ramparts  more  formidable 
than  an  old  rail  fence.  It  stood  on  a  plot  of  meadow 
close  to  the  river.  To  guard  its  valuable  stores  against  Big  Bear 
and  his  three  hundred  braves,  there  stood  but  twenty-tliree  red- 
coated  troopers.  Their  leader  was  Francis  Dickens,  a  son  of  the 
great  novelist.     In  a  stockaded  fort  this  handful  of  men,  skilled 


Fort  Pitt. 


I  UK    CAXAD/.iN  ADVANCE. 


393 


in  arms,  discipline*!,  fearless,  miglu  liave  defied  even  tlie  odds 
that  now  confronted  them.  lUit  their  position  was  untenable. 
Nevertheless,  so  great  was  the  dread  in  which  the  Mounted  Police 
were  held,  that  Big  Bear  was  unwilling  to  attack.  His  warriors, 
though  dnmk  with  lilood,  held  off;  and  he  offered  the  garrison 
freedom  and  safety  if  they  would  give  up  the  stores  and  go.  The 
reply  of  Commander  Dickens  was  a  curt  refusal;  and  the  red- 
skins rushed  yelling  to  the  assault.  Afier  a  hot  fight  they  were 
beaten  back,  and  held  at  bay  for  a  time.  Hut  at  last  Dickens  saw 
the  case  was  hopeless.  Destroying  the  arms,  ammmiition,  and 
food  stored  in  the  fort,  he  led  out  his  dauntless  little  company, 
and  made  good  his  retreat  down  the  river. 

As  we  have  seen,  there  wore  three  points  to  be  reached  by  the 
army  of  rescue.  Middleton  divided  his  force  into  three  columns. 
The  western  column,  under  (leneral  Strange,  was  sent   ^^  „ 

forward  to  Calgary,  thence  to  march    northward   to  dian  troops 

arlvance  id 
FAlmonton  and  operate  against  Big  Bear.     Strange's  three 

force,  numbering  between  five  and  six  hundred,  was 
made  up  of  the  95lh  (Quebec)  Battalion,  the  92nd  (\Vinnij)eg), 
with  a  company  of  Rangers  and  some  Mounted  I*ohce.  'i'he 
uuddle  colimm,  under  Colonel  Otter,  began  its  overland  march 
from  Swift  Current  on  the  South  Saskatchewan.  It  was  made 
up  of  rhc  Queen's  Own  Rifles  (Toronto),  half  of  C  Company 
(Canadian  Regulars),  B  Battery  (Canadian  Regulars),  the  Ottawa 
Foot  Guards,  and  fifty  Mounted  Police,  its  strength  was 
about  the  s.ime  as  that  of  Strange's  column,  ami  the  task  com- 
mitted to  it  was  the  relief  of  Battleford.  The  main  or  eastern 
column,  charged  with  the  relief  of  Prince  Albert  and  the  subjuga- 
tion of  Batoche,  was  retained  by  Middleton  und-  v  'is  own  com- 
mand. It  was  nearly  one  thousand  strong,  and  consisted  of  the 
loth  Royal  Grenadiers  (Toronto),  the  90th  (Winnipeg),  the 
Midland  Battalion  (Ontario),  the  Winnipeg  Field  Mattery,  A 
Battery  (Canadian  Regulars),  half  of  C  Company  (Canadian 
Regulars),  Boulton's  Horse,  French's  Scouts,  and  one  galling  gun 
under  command  of  an  American  officer,  Captain  Howard. 


P 


394 


W    ji/S7  0f^\     Ol'    CANADA. 


From  Qn'Appclle,  Midiilcion  led  the  greater  part  of  his  forres 
iioros.s  cull ntry  toward  Hatoche.  The  Midhuiders,  with  the  gatling 
Middicton'R  ^'"1  siipphes,  wtTC  sent  to  Swift  Current,  there  to  take 
column.  jj^^  steamer  Nortkcok  and  descend  the  Saskatchewan 

to  a  junction  with  the  main  cohnim  at  Clark's  Crossing.  'I'he 
two  hundred  miles'  mar  h  from  Csw  Appelle,  through  the  woody 
covers  of  the  Totichwood  Hills  and  over  the  toilsome  morasses  of 
the  gieat  Salt  Plain,  was  safely  accomplished.  Then,  after  wait- 
ing in  vain  at  Clark's  Crossing  for  the  heavily-laden  Northcote, 
delayed  in  the  shallows,  Middleton  moved  cautiously  toward 
Batochc.  He  advanced  in  two  columns,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  river.  On  April  24th  he  came  suddenly  on  the  rebel  lines, 
strongly  poste<l  in  the  ravine  of  Fish  Creek. 

The  fight  at  Fish  Oeek  began  about  nine  in  the  morning. 
The  country  through  which  our  troops  marched  was  high  prairie 
Battle  at  sprinkled  with  sad-coloured  groves  of  poplar.  Jt  was 
Fish  Creek.  drained  by  precipitous  ravines,  called  coulees,  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  depth,  and  running  at  all  angles  to  the 
river.  I'^ish  Creek  was  a  small  stream,  but  its  ravine,  marked  with 
a  den.se  growth  of  cotton-woods  and  gray  willows,  was  wide  and 
tortuo\ts.  Under  the  brink  of  the  steep,  Dumont  had  ranged  his 
rifle-pits  and  posted  a  strong  force.  As  our  right-hand  column 
came  within  fire  it  broke  into  cheers,  and  spread  ra])idly  across 
the  hostile  front.  Company  C  was  first  in  the  fight,  and  then  the 
Winnipeg  901)1,  whose  dark  uniforms  and  dashing  courage  were 
soon  to  make  them  known  as  the  "  Black  Devils."  The  men, 
never  before  within  range  of  an  enemy's  bullets,  bore  themselves 
admirably.  They  exposed  themselves  with  rash  valour  to  their 
unseen  enemies,  and  their  loss  was  heavy.  Middleton  rode  up 
and  down  his  lines  as  if  on  parade,  a  plain  target  to  Riel's  sharp- 
shooters. He  got  a  bullet  through  his  cap.  About  ten  o'clock 
the  rebels  gathered  their  strength  and  strove  desperately  to  turn 
our  right  flank.  Here  the  Canadian  loss  was  heaviest,  but  after 
a  sharp  struggle  the  assault  was  hurled  back.  At  last  our  battery 
got  the  range  of  some  of  the  rifle-pus  and  covers,  and  silenced 


CVr  KNIFE   CREEK. 


.^95 


their  fire.  The  traoi)H  on  the  other  side  of  tlie  river,  furious  at 
being  cut  olT  from  llu'  fight,  were  making  frantic  ha.ste  to  get 
across  in  the  one  scow  available  as  it  ferry.  As  each  s(jiia<l  landed 
it  rusiied  forwartl  into  thi;  struggle  ;  hut  while  yet  the  greater 
nuniber  wei'-  on  the  other  side.  Middleton  ordered  a  general 
advance,  hupjjorted  l)y  the  guns  of  IJattery  A.  'llio  halfbreeds, 
after  a  stuliborn  resistaiu e,  fell  bark  to  anotiur  ravine  a  mile  dis- 
tant, 'i'hey  had  held  in  check  for  five  hours  a  greatly  superior 
force,  and  so  impressed  fieneral  Middleton  with  their  fighting 
qualities  that  he  encamped  where  he  was,  unwilling  to  advance 
upon  Batoche  before  the  arrival  of  the  Midlanders  and  the 
gatling. 

The  relief  of  Hattleford  had  been  accomplished  by  Colonel 
Otter's  column,  after  a  remarkably  rapid  march  across  the  two  hun- 
dred miles  intervening  between  Swifr  Current  and  the  cutKmfo 
North  Saskatchewan.  P.ut  unhappily  it  was  thought  ^"'*''*' 
well  that  Poundmaker  should  be  chastised,  though  the  depredations 
at  Battleford  were  almost  certainly  due  to  other  Indians  than  his. 
The  sagacious  Cree  chieftain,  with  some  three  hundred  warriors, 
was  on  his  own  reserve,  about  thirty-fue  miles  away,  when  Colonel 
Otter  led  his  expedition  out  of  P.attleford.  The  force  amounted 
to  about  three  hundred  men,  including  a  strong  body  of  Battle- 
ford  Rifles  who  were  hungry  for  vengeance  on  the  redskins.  The 
start  was  made  on  the  afternoon  of  May  ist.  On  the  morning  of 
the  2nd,  as  the  sky  reddened  with  dawn,  the  column  plunged  into 
a  deep  gully,  crossed  the  icy  current  of  Cut  Knife  Creek,  and 
began  to  climb  the  slope  of  Cut  Knife  Hill.  Just  then  the  scouts 
who  had  reacheil  the  crest  of  the  hill  were  seen  falling  back  and 
taking  cover.  The  troops  dashed  forward.  In  a  moment  the 
Indians  opened  fire  in  front  and  on  both  sides.  In  another  mo- 
ment they  had  closed  in  on  the  rear.  Cut  Knife  Hill  was  a  trap, 
and  the  Canadian  troops  had  walked  into  it.  But  there  was  no 
sign  of  panic.  The  men  kept  their  heads  and  fought  steadily, 
while  the  artillery  knocked  over  the  distant  wigwams,  and  drove 
the  enemy  from  one  cover  to  another.     The  Indians  rushed  boldly 


•  I 


396 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


i 


\    \ 


m 


on  the  guns,  and  were  with  difficulty  repelled.  All  througli  the 
long  morning  the  Canadians  fought  under  that  encircling  fusillade, 
till  Otter,  seeing  the  uselessness  of  further  sacrifice,  decided  on  a 
retreat.  The  way  was  cleared  by  a  charge  of  the  Battleford  Rifles, 
and  under  cover  of  the  guns  the  column  was  withdrawn  across  the 
creek.  The  retreat  on  Battleford  was  not  molested.  The  affair 
of  Cut  Knife  Hill  was  one  in  which  our  troops  bore  themselves 
like  veterans  in  the  face  of  defeat.  But  the  laurels  oi  it  were  all 
for  Poundmaker,  who  had  outgeneralled  his  opponents,  fought  a 
splendid  fight  in  defence  of  his  wigwams,  and  spared  his  foes  in 
retreat  when  he  might  have  cut  them  to  pieces. 

One  week  after  the  defeat  of  Cut  Knife  Hill  began  the  three 
days'  battle  of  Batoche's  Ferry,  which  practically  ended  the  rebel- 
Batoche's  ^io"^  (May  9th).  Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  North- 
^^'"^  cote  with  her  reinforcements  Middleton  broke  camp 

at  Fish  Creek  and  advanced  warily  on  the  rebel  stronghold.  The 
Northcote,  barricade<l  with  timbers  to  play  the  part  of  a  gunboat, 
vva.s  sent  down  the  river  to  attack  the  enemy  in  the  rear.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  the  9th  the  Northcote^s  whistle  was  heard 
opposite  Batoche,  and  at  the  signal  our  batteries  opened  fire. 
Some  empty  houses  were  knocked  to  splinters.  Suddenly  the 
rebels  rose  as  it  were  out  of  the  ground  and  poured  in  a  wither- 
ing volley.  Our  advance  had  come  unawares  upon  the  first 
line  of  rifle-pits.  The  whole  face  of  the  country  was  furrowed 
with  ravines  and  honeycombed  with  trenches.  The  advance 
was  staggered,  the  line  wavered ;  but  the  plucky  American, 
Captain  Howard,  thrust  Ibrward  with  his  gatling  and  played  it 
with  such  deadly  effect  over  the  pits  that  the  rebels  dared  not 
charge.  The  critical  moment  pas.sed.  Then  the  red  lines  set- 
tled down  to  ste.ifly  fighting;  but  those  few  moments  had  made 
Howard  the  hero  of  the  day,  and  where  the  angry  screech  of  his 
gatling  rang  out  across  the  din  it  -stirred  the  troops  like  a  truuipet. 
All  day  the  fighting  went  on  among  the  bewildering  ravines.  It 
wa.s  painfully  manifest  that  the  half-breeds  were  not  only  good 
soldiers  but  well  captained.     By  evening  Middleton  had  gained 


ft.!  TOCIIE'S  FERR  Y. 


397 


not  one  riflopit.  rhe  Northcote,  after  signalling  the  fight  to 
open,  hud  with  difficulty  saved  herself  from  capture,  and  with 
riddled  sides  and  demolished  smoke-stack  had  escaped  down 
stream.  Our  force  encamped  in  hollow  square  on  the  battle- 
field, protected  by  a  rude  zareba  of  brushwood  and  waggons.  All 
night  the  rebels  kept  up  a  harassing  fire,  ai  d  under  the  shrilling  of 
rifle-balls  the  men  slept  little.  At  dawn  ihey  opened  out  to  the 
attack,  but  the  whole  day's  fighting  resulted  in  no  advaiKe.  The 
artillery  fire  worked  havoc  in  the  enemy's  more  exposed  trenches, 
but  not  a  foot  did  the  resolute  half-breeds  yield.  Middleton 
would  not  risk  a  charge  on  the  deadly  rifle-pits  ;  and  when  night 
fell  the  troops  encamped  where  they  had  lain  the  night  before. 
Hut  the  men  by  this  time  were  getting  restless  under  tlie  long 
restraint,  and  when  fight  began  on  the  morning  of  the  nth  they 
were  hard  to  hold  in.  They  pressed  close  to  the  pits,  firing 
heavily,  and  toward  noon  tlie  rebel  lire  slackened.  At  last 
Colonels  Van  Strauben^ie,  Williams,  and  Grasseit  called  the 
general's  attention  to  the  temper  of  the  men  and  in  vain  beuged 
l>ermis.-i(.'n  to  charge.  Middlet()n  was  loth  to  sacrifice  the  men 
who  vvDiild  surely  fall  among  tlie  rille-pits.  But  on  Thursd.iy, 
cari\-  in  the  afternoon,  ao  the  troops  pressed  eagerly  forward,  the 
olficers  all  at  once  gave  them  their  head.  With  cheer  on  cheer 
th(.'  angry  battalions  broke  into  a  run.  The  gallant  Midlanders, 
under  W'iiliams,  were  first  aiiiong  the  rifle-pits  ;  but  (Irassett's 
Royal  (irenadiers  had  the  centre  to  storm,  and  carried  it  with  a 
resistless  ru-oli.  On  the  riglit  the  rebels  scattered  like  rabbits  fioin 
the  trenches  before  the  dark  onslaught  of  the  90th.  The  pits  were 
cleared,  the  ravines  swept  clean,  and  the  rebels  streamed  back 
through  tlie  village.  By  four  o'clock  the  battle  was  won.  liatoche 
was  taken  ;  Riel  and  Dumont  were  fugitives  ;  die  insurrection  was 
crushed  at  its  iieart.  A  few  days  later  Kiel  found  himself  a 
prisoner  in  his  own  headtiuarters. 

There  leniaineil  little  more  to  do  but  to  go  on  to  Battleford 
and  arrest  the  now  submissive  Poundmaker,  who  resolutely  averred 
that  he  had  done  no  wrong.     The  western  column,  under  Gen- 


398 


A   HISTORY  Ol-    CANADA. 


eral  Strange,  had  overawed  tlic  Indians  around  Edmonton,  and 

prevented  a  rising  Jiere  ;  but  it  did  not  come  in  contact  with  Big 

Bear  till  M'lv  27th.     On  this  date  Strange  attacked 

strange  at       the  warlilce  savage  in  a  strong  position  near  Fort  Pitt, 

Edmonton.  t>  a  1  . 

and  was  repuiseil.  Two  days  later,  however,  a  small 
portion  of  his  force,  under  Major  Steele,  inflicted  a  sharp  defeat 
on  the  Indians.  Big  Bear's  prisoners  were  rescued  and  his  band 
driven  away  to  the  north.  Pearly  in  July  they  came  back  in  a 
most  submibsivc  mood.  Big  Bear  gave  himself  up,  and  '  whole 
tribe  was  disarmed.  This  meant  peace  all  over  the  N  ;th-west, 
and  on  July  5th  the  troops  started  for  home. 

The  iroops  actually  in  the  field,  besides  those  which  have  been 
already  named,  were  the  York  and  Simcoe  Battalion,  the  7th 
The  troops  London  Fusiliers,  the  Montreal  Garrison  Artillery,  the 
engagert.  ^jj^  Voltigeurs  of  Quebec,  the  Quebec  Cavalry  School 

Corps,  the  Halifax  Provisional  Battalion,  and  tin,  92nd  \Vinni[)eg 
Light  Infantry.  These  corps,  though  nor  brought  under  fire,  did 
garrison  duty  at  various  threatened  points,  where,  i)'U  for  their 
presence,  rebellion  woul(]  doubtless  have  burst  forth.  N.w  P.nms- 
wii:k  and  Prince  Edward  Island  were  not  called  on  till  later  in  the 
struggle,  but  when  the  call  came  they  responded  with  prompt 
enthusiasm.  The  New  Brunswick  Battalion  was  on  its  wav  to  the 
field  when  it  was  stopped  by  news  that  Batoche  had  fillen,  and 
that  there  was  nothing  left  for  it  to  do. 

That  same  summer  Riel  was  tried  i"or  treason  at  Regina.  The 
tiial  created  intense  interest  throughout  the  Dominion,  and  on 
Execution  of  '^'^'^^  sides  were  engaged  some  of  the  able- 1  lawyers  of 
^*''  C'anada.     A  strong  plea  was  made   for   Riel  oa   the 

ground  (<f  insanity,  a  plea  which  the  i:irisoner  himself  repudiated 
with  scorn.  Me  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  deatli.  In 
September  the  sentence  was  carried  out,  and  the  unhappy  half- 
breed  paid  the  penalty  of  his  crimes.  Along  with  Iiirri  were  e.ve- 
cuted  eight  Indians  who  had  been  concerned  in  the  Frog  Lake 
massacre.  A  few  others  most  deeply  implicated  in  the  rising 
were  .sentenced  to  varying  terms  of  imprisonment.    But  Gabriel 


1 


KESULTS   OF   THE  REBELLION. 


399 


Dumont,  preeminent  for  his  bravery  as  for  his  guilt,  evaded  pun- 
ishment by  escaping  across  the  border.  To  such  a  degree  had  the 
daring  half-breed  won  ihe  respect  of  his  opponents,  that  hib  escape 
was  not  greatly  regretted. 

The  results  that  followed  from  the  struggle  were  lai-reaching. 
\\'hile  the  rebellion  was  yet  in  progress,  the  Dominion  governineat 
appointed  commissioners  to  settle  the  claims  of  the  Resuitsofthe 
half-breeds.  It  was  not  long  before  patents  were  is-  ■'^'^'-'i''"" 
sued,  and  the  aggrieved  settlers  secured  in  the  possession  of  tlieir 
lands.  In  the  following  year  the  districts  of  the  North-west  re- 
ceived the  benefit  of  representation  at  Ottawa,  —  one  member  for 
Alberta,  one  for  Saskatchewan,  and  two  for  the  more  populous 
r\ssiniboia.  The  rebellion  turned  men's  eyes  upon  the  North-west, 
and  with  the  opening  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  came  a 
swift  increase  of  population.  The  numbers  of  the  Mounted  Police 
were  increased  from  three  hundred  to  one  thousand.  In  Parlia- 
ment a  storm  was  raised  over  the  execution  of  Riel,  which  seemed 
for  a  time  to  threaten  ruin  to  the  Macdonaki  government.  The 
old  race-cry,  nnhappily,  was  raised  in  Quebec,  and  many  of  the 
P'rench  Conservatives,  or  bletis^  went  over  to  the  other  side, 
because  the  government  had  refused  to  commute  the  rebel  s  sen- 
tence. Their  desertion  was  more  than  made  up  by  the  unex- 
pected support  of  a  number  of  English  Liberals.  It  must  not  l»c 
supposed,  however,  that  the  P'rench  Canadians  were  at  all  united  iii 
condemning  the  execution  of  Riel.  Out  oi  the  fifiy-thvee  French 
members  who  voted  on  the  question,  twenty-five  voted  in  support 
of  the  government.  Quebec  was  not  so  much  al  odds  with  her 
sister  provinces  in  this  matter  as  it  has  been  made  lo  appear. 
Perhaps,  when  all  is  said,  the  most  permanent  result  of  the  rei)ei- 
lion  was  the  widening  and  deepening  of  our  national  sentiment. 
In  the  fight  for  unity,  Canadians  from  all  corners  of  the  Dominion 
fought  shoulder  to  shoulder,  learned  to  honour  each  other  as  brave 
men,  learned  to  love  each  other  as  comrades.     In  this  (juarrel 


1  In  Qiifbec  the  Liberals  are  called  Roui^es  or  "  Reds, "  and  I'u;  c;oi\';i.rv.iUves 
Bleus  or  "  Blues." 


400 


A   H J  STORY  OF    CANADA. 


I 


■i^    I  ? 


Jlowed  Canadian  blood,  and  the  members  of  the  Confederation 

were  drawn  together  more  indissolubly  than  before. 

104.    The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway The   Canadian   Pacific 

Railway  is  an  enterprise  so  essentially  national  and  so  imperial  in 

its  importance,  that  its  completion  calls  for  treatment 
The  Canadian    .  ^        ,  ^ 

Pacific  Rail-     in   a  section  by  itse.  .     As  we  have  seen,  the  vrst 
way. 

western  expansion  of  Canada  and  her  access  to  the 

riches  of  the  Orient  were  made  to  hinge  upon  the  building  of  this 
railway.  It  constituted  a  question  upon  which  governments  arose 
and  fell.  The  needs  which  called  it  into  existence  were  national, 
not  commercial ;  but  true  to  the  maxim  that  trade  follows  the 
flag,  where  it  went  it  created  a  commerce  to  which  its  services 
were  necessary.  The  engine's  whistle  peoples  the  wilderness.  Of 
all  material  bonds  holding  Confederation  together  it  has  proved 
the  most  tangible.  It  has  interwoven  the  life,  trade,  interests, 
and  sentiments  of  the  older  provinces  with  those  of  the  new.  It 
has  brought  the  wheat-fields  of  Manitoba  and  Saskatchewan,  the 
ranches  of  Alberta,  to  the  markets  of  east  and  west.  It  has 
opened  the  resources  and  needs  of  half  a  continent  to  the  capital 
and  the  manufactures  of  those  communities  by  the  sea  where 
Canadian  life  had  birth.  Though  it  has  grown  to  be  an  inde- 
pendent institution,  it  was  the  creation  of  Canada  herself;  an^l  it 
has  stimulated  a  healthy  national  pride  by  proving  that  Canada 
i:ould  carry  to  success  an  enterprise  more  colossal  than  any  other 
people  so  small  and  poor  had  ever  dared  to  dream  of.  It  is  no 
exaggeration  to  say  that  the  daring  conception  and  swift  execution 
(;t'  this  scheme  astonished  the  world,  and  won  Canada  a  fame  that 
generations  of  slow  progress  might  not  have  earned.  To  the 
empire  our  great  railway  was  a  new  strength,  a  new  pledge  of 
unity.  To  the  imperial  station  at  Halifax  was  added  an  imp^*rial 
station  at  Esquimalt ;  and  with  the  Intercolonial  and  the  ('anadian 
Pacific  forming  a  direct  path  between  them,  there  0|,)ened  a 
shorter  and  safer  route  from  Great  IJritaiu  to  Australia.  Thus, 
with  the  Suez  Canal  on  one  side  and  ('anada's  Highway  on  the 
other,  was  completed  the  imperial  girdle  around  the  world.     It  is 


THE  BUILD /NG    OF  THE  FAff.lVAY. 


40  i 


no  longer  possible  for  imperial  statesmen  to  question  supe:vili- 

ously,  as  they  have  done,  the  importance  of  Canada  to  the  ein])ire. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  government  in  1880  had  hnnded  over  the 

task  of  building  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  together  with  seven 

hundred  and  twelve  miles  of  road  already  completed, 

,.  ,,„       ,        ,        r     1  ■  '  1-  The  building 

to  a  syndicate.      1  he  heads  of  this  syndicate  were  of  the  rail- 
way 
Mr.  George  Stephen,  a  merchant  of  Montreal,  who 

afterwards  became  Lord  Mount  Stephen,  and  Mr.  Donald  Smith, 
a  distinguished  official  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  has 
since  been  knighted  for  his  services  to  Canada.  The  terms 
on  which  the  syndicate  took  up  the  work  were  as  follows : 
The  railway  to  be  completed  from  Montreal  to  Port  Moody 
by  1891 ;  the  company  to  receive  as  subsidies  $25,000,000  and 
twenty-five  million  acres  of  land  in  blocks  alternating  with  gov- 
ernment blocks  along  the  railway  ;  the  company  to  receive  all 
land  required  for  stations  and  workshops,  with  all  the  sections 
of  the  railway  built  and  being  built  by  the  government,  valued 
at  $30,000,000 ;  the  company  to  have  the  privilege  of  import- 
ing duty  free  the  materials  for  the  road,  and  to  be  exempt 
from  taxation  for  twenty  years;  no  competing  lines  to  be  built 
in  the  North-west,  south  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  and  connecting 
with  American  lines,  for  a  space  of  twenty  years.  Besides 
these  grants  and  privileges,  Canada  further  aided  the  company 
from  time  to  time  with  liberal  loans  and  guarantees  while  the  line 
was  under  construction.  Burrard  Inlet  was  presently  substituted 
for  Port  Moody  as  the  Pacific  terminus.  The  work  was  pushed 
with  such  extraordinary  vigour  that  it  was  completed  in  half  the 
time  agreed  upon.  Construction  went  on  from  both  ends  at  once. 
In  November  of  1885  the  two  sections,  which  had  been  crawling 
toward  each  other  from  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Pacific,  came 
together  at  the  little  station  of  Craigellachie,  beside  the  Eagle 
River,  in  the  Rockies.  Sir  Donald  Smith  drove  the  last  spike  to 
unite  them.  .And  thus  was  fulfilled  the  ancient  dream  of  a  North- 
west passage  to  Cathay. 

The  total  length  of  the  main  line,  from  Montreal  to  the  Pacific, 


HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Vancouver. 


was  twenty-nine  hnndretl  and  nine  miles ;  and  its  extension  to 
Quebec ,  where  it  joined  our  other  national  highway,  the  Inter- 
colonial, made  it  three  thousand  and  twenty-five  miles.  It  has 
since  extended  feeders  ii;  evt  ry  direction,  tapping  the  northern 
centres  of  American  trade,  and  reaching  the  Mari- 
time Provinces  at  St.  John  by  a  direct  line  from 
Montreal.  It  has  also  established  lines  of  fl^st  steamships 
on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  connecting  Vancouver  with  Japan,  Hong- 
Kong,  and  Australia,  and  vastly  shortening  the  distance  between 
Europe  and  the  East.  At  the  terminus  on  Burrard  Inlet  has 
sprung  up  as  if  by  magic  the  busy  city  of  Vancouver.  In  1885 
the  site  of  Vancouver  was  an  impenetrable  forest  of  the  giant 
Douglas  pines.  In  t!ie  si>ring  of  1886  there  arose  a  strange 
busthng  little  town  of  wooden  houses  amid  a  chaos  of  huge 
stumps.  In  July  the  place  was  literaiiy  blotted  out  of  existence 
by  fire.  But  almost  while  the  ashes  were  yet  hot  began  the  re- 
building of  the  irrepressible  city.  Saw-mills  were  set  at  work 
without  a  roof  to  cover  them.  Now  this  metropolis  of  eight 
years  has  a  population  of  sixteen  thousand,  with  the  dignity  and 
substance  of  a  long  established  centre.  Its  iiandsome  buildings 
and  well-paveti  streets  cover  a  soil  which  has  hardly  yet  for- 
gotten the  footprints  of  the  grizzly.  But  Vancouver  is  not  the 
only  town  which  *'^e  grea     ailway  has  created  as  in  a  breath. 

11  along  the  prairies,  are  strung  little 
iges,  villages  blossoming  into  towns, 
at  they  sparkle  like  jewels  on  their 
roaring  trains  of  the  great  highway 
may  be  likened  to  gigantic  shuttles  darting  backwards  and  for- 
wards across  the  continent,  and  weaving  into  the  warp  of  this 
northern  land  the  bright  pattern  of  our  national  life. 


All  through  the  u.     -itain;- 


settlements  growing      ^.o  \ 
so  filled  with  sanguine 
thread  of  steel.     And  si 


-"e 


fi 

I 


^.  ■ 


.1 ' 


ctension  to 
the  Inter- 
2S.  It  has 
e  northern 
the  Mari- 
line  from 
steamships 
)an,  Hong- 
re  between 
Inlet  has 
,  In  1885 
f  the  giant 
;  a  strange 
s  of  huge 
f  existence 
;an  the  re- 
et  at  work 
s  of  eight 
iignity  and 
e  buildings 
ly  yet  for- 
is  not  the 
I  a  breath, 
strung  little 
into  towns, 
;ls  on  their 
at  highway 
cis  and  for- 
'arp  of  this 


(I 


:l 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

SECTIONS:  — 105,  the  Fisheries  Dispute  again.  106,  Third 
Dominion  Census.  107,  Affairs  in  Newfoundland  up  to  the 
Present  Day. 

105.  The  Fisheries  Dispute  again. — The  two  great  events  of 
the  last  decade  of  our  history  were  those  which  we  have  just  been 
considering  ;  namely,  the  Saskatchewan  rebellion  and  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway.     Other  events  there  have 

been  of  interest  and  importance,  but  none  filling  so 

......  .  Canadian 

large  a  page  in  our  history.     Not  without  deep  mean-   ooatmen  on 

,  ,     ,  .        ,  .       ,       r  ,         t»»e  Nile, 

ing  to  the  whole  empire,  however,  is  the  fact   that 

when  General  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  in  1884,  was  despatched  up  the 
Nile  with  an  army  to  relieve  Khartoum  and  rescue  Gordon  from 
the  Soudan  rebels,  he  took  with  him  five  hundred  Canadian  boat- 
men to  help  him  through  the  storied  barrier  of  the  Cataracts.  He 
had  not  forgotten  the  skill  and  daring  shown  by  the  Canadian 
troops  when  he  was  leading  the  Red  River  Expedition  through 
the  wilderness  beyond  Lake  Superior.  The  head  of  this  Cana- 
dian contingent,  which  went  to  fight  in  the  sands  of  Egypt  the 
battles  of  the  empire,  was  Colonel  F.  C.  Denison,  of  Ontario. 
The  idea  of  imperial  unity  was  now  springing  into  active  hfe,  as 
was  plainly  shown  by  the  presence  not  only  of  Canadian  but  also 
of  Australian  troops  under  the  imperial  banners  in  Egypt. 

Those  years  of  Canadian  expansion,  1885  and  1886,  saw,  how- 
ever, what  seemed  like  a  backward  movement  in  Nova  Scotia. 
That  province  had  asked  for  a  larger  cash  subsidy  from  the 
Dominion,  basing  her  demand  on  these  grounds,  among  others : 

403 


i 


404 


A    mS7\WV  OF  CANADA. 


that  she  had  not  received  terns  as  favourable  as  those  granted  to 
certain  other  provinces;  tliat  her  financial  position  was  not  as 

eood  as  it  hai  I  been  before  the  union  :  that  her  reve- 
Repealagita~    ^  rr  r        1 

lion  in  Nova     nues  were  ins'ufncient  for  the  puri>oses  of  governmem 
Scotia.  ,  .  ,  .  ,  ,       ,^       ■    . 

and  internal  iirprovement ;  that  the  Uomuiion  gov- 
ernment had  taken  over  a  large  mileage  of  provincial  railroad 
witliout  suificient  compensation  to  the  province ;  and  that  her 
contributions  to  the  Dominion  treasury,  through  custom  duties 
collected  in  her  ports  b/  Dominion  officials,  were  greatly  out  of 
proportion  to  her  receipts  from  the  Dominion.  The  Dominion 
government  having  refused  the  demand,  the  Nova  Scotia  Legis- 
lature passed  a  resolution  favouring  the  secession  of  the  Maritime 
J^rovinces  from  Confederation  and  the  establishment  of  a  Maritime 
Union.  In  case  of  New  Brunswick  and  Priuce  Edward  Island 
proving  unfriendly  to  this  scheme,  the  resolution  proposed  the 
secession  of  Nova  Scotia  alone,  and  her  return  to  the  status 
which  she  occupied  before  Confederation.  A  month  later  the 
provincial  elections  were  held,  and  the  secession  government  was 
supported  by  a  very  large  majority.  The  real  foundation  of  this 
outburst,  of  course,  was  a  revival  of  the  old  wrath  at  the  manner 
in  which  Nova  Scotia  had  been  taken  into  the  Dominion  without 
being  properly  consulted  in  regard  to  so  vital  a  change  in  her 
constitution.  New  Brunswick  and  Prince  Edward  Island,  how- 
ever, would  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  secession  scheme  ;  and 
the  island  of  Cape  Breton,  strongly  Confederate  in  sentiment, 
began  a  movement  to  secede  from  Nova  Scotia  and  set  up  as  a 
separate  province  of  the  Dominion.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed, 
however,  that  the  secession  cry  was  expected  to  lead  to  any  such 
extreme  step  as  separation.  It  was  rather  a  most  urgent  form  of 
protest  against  the  Dominion's  refusal  of  l)etter  terms.  When, 
in  the  very  next  year,  the  Dominion  elections  were  held.  Nova 
Scotia  returned  a  large  majority  in  support  of  the  Confederation 
party.  A  better  understanding  was  presently  brought  about  between 
Ottawa  and  Halifax ;  and  the  repeal  cry  was  let  slip  into  oblivion. 
As  the  reader  will  call  to  mind,  the  clauses  of  the  Washington 


THE  FISHERIES  DISPUTE  AGAIN. 


40s 


i* 


-1 


'\ 


Treaty  relating  to   the   fisherirs  had  settled   the    matter    only 
for  twelve  years,  after  which  either  the  United  Stales  or  Canada 
was  to  be  free  to  terminate  the  agreement  with  two 
years    notice.     In   1883  the  I.  nited  States  gave  this  dispute 
notice,  and  the  agreement  under  whieh  the  two  coun- 
tries had  got  on  so  harmoniously  came  to  an  end  in  the  early 
summer  of  1885.     The  Americans  did  this   because,  said    they, 
the   privilege   of   fishing  in  Canadian  waters  was  not  worth  the 
price  they  had  been  made  to  pay  for  it  by  the  Halifax  fisheries 
award.     Canadian  fish  were  at  ouce  shut  oni  by  a  hiyh  duty  from 
American  markets.     At  the  same  timi'  American   fishing-vessels 
began  a  system  of  deliberate   trespassing   on   Canadian   waters. 
The  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  1818,  known  as  the  Convention 
of  London,  now  came  again  into  force.     Tiiese   prohibited   tiie 
Americans  from  taking,  drying,  or  curing  fish  within  three  miles 
of  the  British  North  American  coast,  certain  very  limited  portions 
of  Newfoundland,  Labrador,  and  the  Magdalen  Inlands  exce[)ted. 
There  were  other  sharp  restrictions   imposed   by   the   treaty   of 
1818.     But  Canada  hesitated  to  assert  her  rights  in  the  matter; 
and,  in  the  hope  of  reaching  a  new  and  fair  agreement  with  the 
United  States,  she  gave  the  Americans  freely,  for  the  rest  of  the 
season,  the   valuable   privileges  for   which   they  had  refused   to 
make  any  return.     But  tlie  Americans  were  inexorable.     Congress 
would  not  make  a  new  treaty  or  accept  an  International  Com- 
mission.    There  was  nothing  left  for  Canada  to  do  but  enfv.rce 
her  rights.     A  fleet  of  armed  cruisers  was  fitted  out  to  patrol  the 
fisheries.     A  number  of  New  England  vessels,  caught  poaching 
on  Canadian  waters  or  evading  the  Canadian  customs  regiilations, 
were  seized,  and   heavy  fines   intlicted   upon   them.     'l"he   New 
England  fishermen,  choosing  to  regard  this  action  as  one  of  war, 
were  clamorous  in  their  wrath.     Threats  of  reprisal  were  loudly 
uttered,  and  even  the  government,  forgetting  that    Canada  was 
but  doing  police  duty  on  her  own  property,  talked  of  cutting  off 
all  trade  intercourse  with  the  Dominion.     Rut  wiser  counsels  pre- 
vailed; and  in  the  year  1S87  an  International  Commission  was 


4o6 


A   niSrORY  OF  lANADA. 


appointed  to  clear  up  the  dispute.  The  commission  consisted  of 
Hon.  Joseph  ChambirLiiu,  Sir  Sackville  West,  and  Sir  Ciiarles 
Tupper  for  Great  Ihitaiii;  Secrctar)  of  Suite  Iiayard,  Mr.  W.  L. 
Putnam,  and  Doctor  Janif-s  13.  Angell  tor  the  United  States.  They 
met  at  Washington  towards  the  end  of  the  year.  The  agreement 
reached  by  the  comniisMoners  was  rejected  by  Congress;  and 
the  matter  was  allowerl  to  lajise  into  Us  former  dangerous  posi- 
tion (iS8S). 

The  year  1SS7  was  made  memorable  by  two  important  con- 
ferences.    One,  known  as  the  Imperial  Conference,  was  held  at 

.,„        London.     Attended   Ny  delegates  from  Great  Britain 
Imperial  Con-  •'  ° 

lerenceand  and  all  her  self-^overning  colonies,  and  discussing 
Interprovin-  on-  o 

ciai  Confer-  matters  of  concern  to  the  whole  empire,  it  marked  a 
step  toward  the  conscious  unity  of  Greater  Britain. 
Canada  was  represented  at  this  conference  by  Sir  .-Xltxanilcr 
Campbell  and  Mr.  Sandforil  Fleming.  The  other  gathering,  g'.;u- 
erally  known  as  the  Interprovinc.ia!  Conferenct;,  met  at  Q)uebct:. 
It  was  made  up  of  the  leaders  of  the  governments  of  those  pvov- 
inces  wherein  the  leins  of  ])o\vcr  were  held  by  the  Liberal  party. 
These  provinces  weie  Quebec,  Ontario,  Nova  Scotia,  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  Manitoba.  Fiuice  Edward  L^land  and  British  Colum- 
bia, being  ruled  by  Cunservative  governments,  were  not  rejMe- 
seuted.  The  purpi)se  of  the  conference  was  to  seek  a  revision  of 
the  British  North  America  Act.  It  represented  chiefly  the  views 
of  those  who  desire  to  iu'-rease  the  powers  of  the  provinces  and 
diminish  the  powers  of  the  central  government.  It  was  the  old 
dispute  of  Provincial  venus  Federal  rights.  The  resolutions 
passed  by  this  conference  looked  toward  a  number  of  radical 
changes  in  the  Constitution  of  Canada.  One  of  the  most  signifi- 
cant of  these  was  the  proposed  transfer  of  the  power  of  disallowing 
provincial  acts  from  the  Dominion  to  the  Imperial  government. 
No  action,  however,  has  thus  far  grown  out  of  the  resolutions  of 
the  conference.  That  there  should  arise  some  friction,  from 
time  to  time,  between  the  central  government  and  those  of  the 
various  provinces,  was  inevitable.     It  has  arisen  chieliy  from  the 


''EQUAL  RIGUTSr 


407 


disallowance  of  provincial  acts  by  the  central  government,  liut 
Canada  has  reason  to  congratulate  herself  that  the  differences 
have  been  so  few,  and  have  been  settled  with  so  much  forbearance 
on  both  sides. 

\\\  this  year  the  right  was  conceded  to  Canada  of  negotiating 
her  own  commercial  treaties  with  foreign  powers.  It  was  pro- 
vided that  when  such  a  treaty  was  to  be  made,  nego-  Canada  gains 
tiations  should  be  conducted  by  the  British  minister  negotfate 
and  the  Canadian  envoy,  acting  together  and  with  *'8*^'«8. 
equal  powers.  The  beginning  of  this  year  witnessed  a  general 
Dominion  election,  in  which  the  Macdonald  government  was 
again  sustained. 

The  year  1888  saw  the  rise  of  a  new  party,  calling  themselves 

the  Equal  Rights  party,  which  for  a  time  seemed  likely  to  once 

more  confuse  the  old  party  lines.     It  took  its  rise  in 

'  The  "  Equal 

an  act  of  the  provincial  government  of  Quebec,  called  Rights  ■ 
,,.,_,  .  ....         ,       T        •     ^^    ,         agitation, 

the  Jesuits  Estates  Act,  reendowmg  the  Jesuit  Order. 

This  great  order  had  been  suppressed  by  the  Pope  in  1773,  and 
their  estates  had  consequently  fallen  to  the  Crown.  Now,  in  com- 
pensation, the  province  granted  to  the  Jesuits  a  sum  of  $400,000. 
By  its  opponents  this  act  was  regarded  as  an  attack  on  Protes- 
tantism. The  Dominion  government  was  passionately  urged  to 
disallow  it.  But  Sir  John  Macdonald  said  the  matter  was  one 
which  lay  quite  within  the  powers  of  the  provincial  Legislature, 
and  could  not  therefore  be  vetoed.  In  this  judgment  he  was  sup- 
ported not  only  by  his  own  party  but  by  an  overwhelming  majority 
of  the  Liberals  as  well.  The  act  became  law.  But  out  of  the 
Equal  Rights  movement  grew  an  agitation  in  Manitoba,  which  has 
resulted  in  the  discontinuance  of  I'Vench  as  an  ofificial  language, 
and  in  an  Act  for  the  Abolition  of  Separate  Schools. 

106.    Third  Dominion  Census.  —  In  X891  was  taken  the  third 
Dominion  census.     It  showed  a  population  of  4,833,239  for  the 
whole  of  Canada.     The  population  of  1881,  as  already  Third  Domin- 
stated,  was  4,324,810;  and  the  smallness  of  the  in-  'o^^^sus. 
crease,  only  about  a  half  million  in  ten  years,  caused  a  wide-spread 


HISTORY  OF  CANAD.L 


w 


If 


feeling  of  disappointment.  It  may  be  doubted,  lirnvev*.'!-,  if  tb-jre 
was  much  real  ground  for  di^api)ointinent.  The  increase,  lhou/.;h 
slow,  had  been  of  desirable  :ii\(l  enduring  character ,  nnd  tlie 
increase  in  wealth,  material  routurt,  and  intcllfciual  progress,  as 
shown  by  statistics  of  bank  deposits,  tr.vfie.  .lud  educadon,  had 
been  rtMuarkably  great.  The  natural  growth  of  the  ola'.;r  prov- 
inces had  been  to  some  extent  drawn  off  to  jieopic  the  fertile  and 
expectant  wilderness  of  the  Nurth-west.  It  has  become  the  liiMi 
to  jiuj^c  the  progress  of  a  country  by  its  growdi  in  ptpulalini  ; 
but  possibly  a  sounder  measure  of  its  development  may  be  found 
in  the  growth  of  means,  morals,  and  culture. 

In  this  year  the  govcinuient  dissolved  the  House  and  appialt-d 
again  to  the  country.      The  result,  after  a  parly  struggle  of  uiuisuai 

«    .^     ^       heat,  was  a  victory  for  the  (Jonservatives.     The  great 

Death  of  Sir  '  '  ,  ,        i 

John  Mac-        statesman  ^vho  had  so  long  guided  the  destinies  ol 

Canada  was  now  old  and  worn  with  ellort.    The  arduous 

struggle  bore  too  heavily  upon  him,  and  in  the  hour  of  his  triinnph, 

but  a  few  weeks  after  the  people  had  <jii<:.e  more  testifuid  their 

confidence  at  the  polls,  he  took  his  exit  from  the  stage  which  his 

genius  had  made  conspicuous.     Memorable  years  for  C'anada  had 

been  those  of  his  ruie^  years  in  which  she  had  learned  to  lift  her 

head  among  the  nations.     When  Sir  John  Macdonald  died,  on 

June  6.  1 89 1,  parties  and  (actions  hushed  their  strife  to  unite  in 

honouring  the  memory  of  one  who  had  done  so  much  for  his 

country. 

One  year   later  (April    t;,    1892),  died  the   lion.  Alexander 

Mackenzie,  the  great  Liberal  statesman  who  had  proved  himself 

Macdonald's  strongest  rival.     He  alone  had  been  a'  Ic 
Deatnot  Hon.  .°  .,1        .,,     .. 

Aiexduatr        to  wrest  the  reins  of  power  from  Macdona!ri'    '^~*i, 

and  for  five  years  to  hold  them  against  bri  I'^'fty 

assatilt  and  the  unfriendliness  of  fate  itself  Tlie  nan  >t  Mac- 
kenzie stands  for  honesty  of  purpose  in  Canadian  politicr,.  No 
statesman  of  Canada  held  more  steadily  than  he  the  respect  alike 
of  friend  and  adversary.  Mackenzie  had,  some  years  before  his 
death,  ceased  to  be  the  leader  of  the  Liberal  party.     This  position 


TUB  BERING  SUA  DISPUTE, 


409 


was  ocf  upierl  for  a  time  by  Hon.  Edward  Hlake,  who  has  since 
exchanged  Canadian  for  imperial  pohtics.  Mr.  Blake  wa^  suc- 
ceeded by  Hon.  Wilfrid  Laurier,  who  is  now  leader  of  the  Lib- 
erals. On  the  death  of  Sir  John  Macdonald,  Sir  ]u\\\\  Abbott 
siuceeded  to  the  premiership.  After  less  tlian  a  year  of  otfice  he 
resigned  on  account  of  ill  health,  ami  died  a  year  later.  He  was 
succeeded  in  the  same  year  (1892)  by  Sir  John  S.  O.  Thompson. 

All  this  time  a  quarrel  with  the  Americans  over  the  seal-fisheries 
of  Hering  Sea  was  growing  sharp'.^r  with  each  season.  This  trouble 
had  begun  in  the  west  as  far  back  as  1886,  when  bome  The  Bering 
Canadian  sealers  were  seized  by  the  Americans.  I'he  Sea  Jispute. 
.Americans  made  the  astonishing  claim  that  the  whole  of  Bering 
Sea  within  sixty  miles  of  the  Alaska  coast  was  a  territorial  water 
of  their  own.  As  the  phrase  goes,  they  declared  this  vast  water  a 
mare  clausum,  or  "  closed  sea."  k  glance  at  tlie  map  will  show 
the  colossal  audacity  of  this  pretension.  At  the  same  time  strife 
was  waxing  hot  in  the  east  over  the  cod,  herriii;,',  and  mackerel 
fisheries.  As  v/o  have  already  seen,  the  Atlantic  co.ist  waters  were 
acknowledged  as  the  exclusive  possession  of  the  1. miitry  which 
they  washed,  to  a  distance  of  three  marme  miles  from  shore.  This 
was  a  long-esta'olished  principle  of  international  law.  The  Cana- 
dians claimed  that  in  the  case  of  waters  like  the  Bay  of  I'^undy 
and  Bay  Chaleur,  whose  coasts  were  exclusively  Canadian,  the 
line  of  the  "three-mile  limit"  should  run  from  headland  to  head- 
land across  the  mouth.  The  Americans,  with  striking  incon- 
sistency, resisted  this  claim  with  vigour,  and  protested  that  the 
"three-mile  limit"  should  be  taken  to  follow  all  the  windings  of 
the  shore.  A  decisive  judgment  in  the  Hering  Sea  controversy 
was  not  obtained  till  1S93.  Canadian  sealing-vessels  were  seized 
and  confiscated  in  1887  and  18S9.  Several  times  there  was 
danger  of  armed  collision. 

At  last  the  United  States  agreed  to  Creat  Britain's  proposal 
that  the  matter  should  be  submitted  to  arbitration.  The  Bering 
Sea  Court  of  Arbitration  met  in  Paris  on  April  4,  1893,  and 
sat  till  the  middle  of  August.     The  arbitrators  were  I..ord  Han- 


I   ; 


I: 

U 


410 


A   HISrORY  OF  CANADA. 


\\ 


The  Bering 
Sea  arbitra- 
tion. 


agent 


for 


nen  and  Sir  John  Thompson,  prime  minister  of  Canada,  on  be- 
haU'  of  Great  Britain ;  Judge  Harlan  and  Senator  Morgan  on 
behalf  of  the  United  States ;  Marquis  Visconti  Venosta, 
of  Italy ;  Mr.  Gregora  W.  Gram,  of  Sweden ;  and 
Baron  de  Courcel,  of  Belgium,  who  presided.  The 
Great  Britain  and  Canada  was  Mr.  Charles  Kibbert 
Tupper,  since  knighted  for  his  services  in  the  arbitration.  The 
agent  for  the  United  States  was  General  J.  W,  Foster,  ex-secretary 
of  state.  Both  sides  were  supported  by  the  ablest  legal  counsel. 
The  decision  of  the  arbitrators  was  favourable  to  Great  Britain  and 
Canada.  The  American  claims  to  jurisdiction  over  Bering  Sea,  to 
property  rights  in  the  seals  visiting  the  coast  and  islands  of  Alaska, 
and  to  the  rights  of  seizing  vessels  found  trespassing  on  these 
alleged  rights,  were  all  firmly  rejected  by  the  Court  of  Arbitration. 
At  the  same  time  a  series  of  regulations  was  drawn  up  for  the 
better  protection  of  the  seal  fisheries ;  and  both  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  were  required  to  join  in  enforcing  them.  By 
these  regulations  a  close  season  was  established,  making  it  unlaw- 
ful to  kill  seals  from  May  ist  to  July  21st.  The  use  of  firearms  in 
sealing  was  prohibited,  and  there  were  other  regulations  equally 
strict.  In  compensation  for  the  unlawful  seizure  of  Canadian 
sealing- vessels,  the  United  States  was  condemned  to  pay  the 
owners  a  sum  of  $500,000.  The  decree  of  the  Court  of  Arbitra- 
tion was  accepted  by  the  United  States  with  extreme  ill-grace,  and 
Congress  has  hitherto  refused  to  pay  the  damages  awarded  to  the 
injured  sealers.  At  the  time  of  writing,  in  1895,  the  matter  is 
still  unsettled. 

In  1893  the  Liberal  party  held  a  great  convention  at  Ottawa. 
Among  the  fifteen  hundred  delegates  were  the  premiers  of  Ontario, 
The  Liberal  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  Prince  Edward 
Convention.  ic,iand.  The  chairman,  Sir  Oliver  Mowat,  laid  stress 
on  the  loyally  and  national  feeling  of  the  party,  and  explained  that 
while  better  trade  relations  with  the  United  States  were  to  be 
earnesdy  sought,  they  were  not  to  be  sought  at  any  sacrifice  of 
our  national  honour  or  any  peril  to  our  national  existence.     The 


THE   COLONIAL    CONFERENCE. 


411 


a,  on  be- 
organ  on 
[  Venosta, 
len ;    and 
.ed.     The 
i  Kibbert 
ion.    The 
>secretary 
il  counsel. 
Jritain  and 
ing  Sea,  to 
of  /vlaska, 
;  on  these 
Arbitration, 
up  for  the 
Britain  and 
them.     By 
ig  it  unlaw- 
firearms  in 
)ns  equally 

Canadian 
;o  pay  the 
of  Arbitra- 

grace,  and 
ded  to  the 
matter  is 

Lit  Ottawa. 

I  of  Ontario, 

:e    Edward 
laid  stress 
jlained  that 

I  we  re  to  be 
I  sacrifice  of 
tnce.     The 


convention  passed  a  scries  of  resolutions  which  formulated  the 
policy  of  the  Liberal  party  and  expressed  confidence  in  the  leader- 
ship of  Mr.  Laurier. 

In  February  of  this  year  was  signed  a  treaty  with  France,  under 
which  France  and  Canada  made  each  other  certain  important  con- 
cessions. These  related  to  the  tariff,  and  were  designed  to  encour- 
age trade  between  the  two  countries.  Another  iinportan  event 
was  the  exploration  of  some  three  thousand  miles  of  unknown 
regions  in  the  North-west,  by  members  of  the  Geological  Survey 
of  Canada.  The  exploring  party  was  led  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Tyrrell, 
and  brought  back  definite  knowledge  of  the  country  about  Lake 
Athabasca  and  Chesterfield  Inlet.  It  gives  one  some  conception 
of  the  vast  extent  of  our  country,  when  we  read  of  the  discovery 
of  a  river  nine  hundred  miles  long,  the  existence  of  which  had 
never  been  guessed. 

At  the  World's  Fair,  or  Columbian  Exposition,  held  at  Chicago 
in  1893,  Canada  made  a  showing  of  even  more  conspicuous  bril- 
liancy than  at  the  Centennial,  carrying  off  no  fewer  Canada  at  the 
than  twenty-three  hundred  and  forty-seven  awards.  ^'"^''^'^  ^^"■' 
The  departments  in  which  she  was  most  succe?sful  were  those  of 
agriculture,  live  stock,  transportation,  ai  'I  the  liberal  arts,  .'\mong 
educational  exhibits  Ontario  kept  up  the  si'kndid  reputation  which 
she  had  earned  in  1S76  ;  but  she  was  closely  followed  by  Quebec, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  the  North-west  Territories. 

Jn  the  early  summer  of  1894  British  Columbia  was  visited  by 
devastacing  floods.  Swollen  by  unwonted  rain  in  the  mountains, 
her  rivers  roared  in  terrific  volume  down  their  tvild    ^,    ^ 

Floods  in 

caiions,  and  covered  the  lower  lands  with  ruin.     In   British 

'  Columbia 

the   settled    regions   about  the  Eraser  whole  villages 
were  swept  away,  and  railway  communication  was  cut  off  by  the 
wrecking  of  the  bridges.     The  loss  of  life  and   [iroperiy  was  a 
serious  blow  to  so  small  a  popuUuion. 

For  significance  to  Canada  and  the  empire,  the  chief  event  of 
1894  was  perhaps  tb?  Colonial  Conference,  to  which  allusion  has 
been  already  made.     This  conference  met  at  Ottawa  in  Julv.     It 


412 


,/  H/STOKY  OF  CANADA. 


m 


m 


•:  > 


l! 


was  presided  over  by  the  Earl  of  Jersey,  who  attended  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  Great  Britain.  There  were  delegates  from  Canada, 
The  Colonial  New  South  Wales,  Victoria,  Queensland,  South  Aus- 
conference.  ^^^^-^^  Tasmania,  New  Zealand,  and  South  Africa.  The 
objects  of  the  conference  were  the  encouragement  of  intercourse,, 
the  development  of  trade,  and  the  promotion  of  sympathy  be- 
tween the  various  members  of  the  empire.  In  a  word,  the  unity 
of  Greater  Jiritain  was  the  end  in  view.  Among  the  results  of  the 
conference  will  probably  be  closer  trade  relations,  the  speedy  con- 
struction of  a  submarine  cable  system  between  Canada,  Australia, 
and  New  Zealand,  and  the  establishment  of  a  flist  steamship 
service  between  Canada  and  England.  The  view  obtained  by 
Australasian  delegates  of  the  progress  made  by  Canada  since 
Confederation  cannot  fail  to  hasten  the  day  of  Australasian  union. 
On  the  1 2th  day  of  December,  T894,  Canada  was  shocked  by 
the  sudden  death  of  her  premier.  Sir  John  Thompson.     He  died 

while  visiting  Her  Majesty  at  Windsor.     He  was  at 
Death  of  Sir  ="  •*       ^ 

johnThomp-    the   height  of  his  fame,  secure   in   the  trust  of  his 
son.  ,      .  •     ,  .  _,, 

country  and   the   approbation  of  the  empire.     The^ 

high  honour  of  membership  in  the  Imperial  Privy  Council  had 

just   been  conferred   upon  him.     One  of  the  great   cruisers   of 

Her  Majesty's  fleet,  the  Blenhdm,  was  commissioned  to  bear  his 

body  back  to  Canada,  and  the  embarkation   was   accompanied 

by  a  solemn  ceremonial  of  mourning.      The  Blenheim  steamed 

across  the  ocean  to  Halifax ;  and  there  in  his  native  city,  from  the 

Caliiedral  of  St.  Mary,  the  majestic  state  funeral  took  place  on  the 

2nd  (lay  of  January,  1895. 

107.   Aifairs  in  Newfoundland  up  to  the  Present  Day.  —  The 

most  prominent  feature  of  Newfoundland  history  during  the  last 

few  years  has  been  the  French  shore  grievance.'    As 
The  French  /  ° 

shore  dis-  sve  have  seen,  by  the  treaty  of  1783  France  was  se- 
cured in  the  rights  of  taking,  curing,  and  drying  fish, 
and  erecting  huts  and  stages  for  such  purpose,  along  the  whole 
western  coast  of  Newfoundland,  from  Cape  Ray  northward,  and 
down  the  eastern  coast  as  far  as  Cape  St.  John.     There  were  other 


NEWFai'\'Dl.ASW    RAILWAY  BVIl.DtNG. 


413 


^1 


i 


privileges,  too,  such  as  exemption  from  duties,  which  gave  their 
fishermen  overwhelming  advantage.  The  British  government  had 
undertaken  that  its  subjects  should  in  no  way  interfere  with  the 
French  (ishennen  in  the  exercise  of  their  rights.  The  French 
heki  tliat  any  settlement  along  this  portion  of  the  coast,  the  estab- 
lishment of  any  industries,  would  be  an  interference.  As  a  con- 
sequence, the  mildest  and  most  fertile  parts  of  the  island  were 
left  for  nearly  a  hundred  years  a  desert.  The  colonists  had  always 
fretted  under  the  French  restrictions.  As  population  and  enter- 
prise grew  in  the  colony,  squatters  settled  on  the  forbidden  shore, 
where  they  lived  without  law,  as  no  jurisdiction  could  be  exerted 
by  the  provincial  government.  Protest  after  protest  went  up 
from  the  province,  but  Great  Britain  would  not  suffer  the  rights  of 
France  to  be  encroaciied  upon.  These  rights  Franct  inter[)reted 
entirely  to  her  own  advantage,  and  asserted  with  severity.  At 
last,  in  1877,  the  French  shore  was  brought  within  the  pale  of 
civilization  by  the  establishment  of  law-courts  and  custom  houses  ; 
but  the  restrictions  on  industry  and  settlement  remained  in  full 
force.  In  1878  a  railway  was  authorized  by  the  Legislature  to 
run  across  the  island,  from  St.  John's  to  St.  (ieorge's  Bay,  opening 
up  the  rich  valleys  of  the  Exploits  and  (iander  rivers.'  But 
St.  George's  Bay  was  a  part  of  the  French  shore,  and  therefore 
the  British  government  refused  its  sanction  to  the  railway.  Rail- 
ways and  internal  development  being  a  manifest  necessity  to  the 
island,  a  road  was  then  planned  from  St.  John's  northward  to 
Hall's  Bay  on  the  east  coast,  the  centre  of  the  cojiper- mining  dis- 
trict. The  first  soil  of  this  first  Newfoundland  railway  was  turned 
in  August,  1 88 1.  At  length,  in  1882,  through  the  elTorts  of  Sir 
William  Whiteway,  then  provincial  premier,  the  Imperial  govern- 
ment consented  to  allow  the  issue  of  mining  licenses  and  land 


1  In  connection  witli  this  pniposed  railway  a  ciuirtfr  was  <;rante(i  to  the  "Amer- 
ican and  KuropiMn  Short  I jii<^  Railway  Company,"  which  was  organized  to  run  a 
line  across  the  island  Irom  east  to  west,  a  fust  f'-rry  across  the  Gulf  to  Cape  North 
in  Cape  Breton,  and  a  line  ihence  to  connect  with  the  Intt'rcolonii<l  system.  Fast 
steamers  were  to  run  from  tlie  eastern  terminus  to  Liverpool,  thus  giving  the 
shortest  possible  passage  between  Great  Britain  and  the  New  World. 


414 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


'!! 


grants  on  the  French  shore,  and  the  district  received  representa- 
tion in  the  I^rovincial  Legislature.  But  the  hand  of  France  was 
felt  everywhere  and  collision  was  frequent.  In  1875  an  agree- 
ment beiween  England  and  France  was  signed  at  Paris.  The 
provincial  governuient  refused  to  accept  it,  but  their  protests  were 
not  heeded,  and  the  agreement  was  enforced  by  British  and  French 
naval  forces.  The  inhabitants  of  the  French  shore  live  under 
fetters,  as  it  were.  Almost  any  effort  they  may  make,  almost  any 
enterprise  they  may  engage  upon,  is  likely  to  be  taken  as  an 
encroachment  upon  French  rights.  The  growth  of  nearly  half  the 
island  is  strangled  to  suit  the  convenience  of  a  foreign  po\uer. 
The  resentment  of  the  Islanders  grows  yearly  more  bitter.  In 
the  season  of  1889  the  attitude  of  the  settlers  grew  so  threatening, 
the  quarrels  between  the  French  and  native  fishermen  so  angry, 
that  the  commander  of  a  French  cruiser  in  St.  George's  Bay 
declared  he  would  bombard  the  settlement  and  massacre  the 
inhabitants  if  the  blow  J  of  one  Frenchman  were  spilt.  In  1890 
it  was  claimed  that  the  authority  of  the  island  officials  was  superior 
on  the  island  to  tliat  of  any  British  official.  The  right  of  British 
naval  officers  to  interfere  with  the  native  fishermen  in  the  interest 
of  the  French  was  denied.  For  such  interference,  as  an  illegal 
transgression  of  the  rights  of  British  subjects,  Admiral  Walker  was 
tried  and  condemned  in  the  Newfoundland  courts.  The  Imperial 
government  thereupon  asserted  its  authority  sharply,  and  admin- 
istered a  severe  rebuke  to  the  province.  One  of  the  most  dan- 
gerous effects  of  all  this  has  been  a  weakening  of  the  sentiment 
of  loyalty  toward  England.  If  Newfoundland  were  now  to  enter 
Confederation,  Canada  would  find  herself  confronted  with  a  grave 
problem  in  the  French  shore  difficulty.  It  is  a  problem  too 
perilous  and  too  pressing  to  be  left  much  longer  unsettled. 

The  course  of  the  Imperial  government  in  supporting  French 
claims,  overriding  the  acts  of  the  provincial  Legislature,  and 
ordering  naval  officers  to  perform  police  duties  against  Newfound- 
land citizens,  stirred  up  a  fierce  resentment  at  St.  John's.  The 
local  government  turned  toward  the  United  States  for  sympathy, 


GREAT  FIRE  AT  Sr.JOU\''S. 


415 


and  there  arose  an  idle  but  noisy  tiilk  of  annexation.  One  ol 
the  members  of  the  government,  Hon.  Robert  Bond,  was  sent  to 
\Vashington  to  discuss,  with  the  aid  of  the  British  Newfound- 
minister,  the  question  of  trade  relations  between  New-  uniteT*^  ^^"^ 
foundkmd  ami  the  United  States.  The  astute  IMaine  '^'^*^«=- 
was  then  secrelary  of  state.  He  rejected  the  proposals  of  the 
British  minister  and  the  Newfoundland  envoy,  but  submitted  a 
counter  proposal  which  Mr.  Bond  accepted.  This  trade  conven- 
tion, though  tar  more  advantageous  to  the  Americans  than  to 
Newfoundland,  proved  acceptable  to  the  Newfoundland  govern- 
ment in  the  temper  then  paramount  (1890).  But  certain  of  its 
terms  were  extremely  unjust  to  Canada,  and  at  the  request  of  the 
Canadian  government  Great  Britain  refused  her  sanction  to  the 
so-called  Blaine-Bond  Treaty.  The  indignation  of  the  Ancient 
Colony  against  Crreat  Britain  was  now  in  part  turned  against 
Canada.  It  was  intolerable,  fumed  the  Islanders,  that  Canada 
should  be  allowed  to  interfere.  Valuable  fishing  privileges,  secured 
to  Canada's  fishermen  by  many  pledges,  and  in  return  for  gen- 
erous concessions,  were  suddenly  refused  on  any  terms,  while  to 
Americans  they  were  granted  as  a  free  gift.  After  vain  protest, 
Canada  imposed  a  duty  on  Newfoundland  fish,  as  a  slight  measure 
of  retaliation.  The  ill-feeling  between  the  two  countries,  however, 
soon  died  away,  and  hostile  acts  were  recalled  on  both  sides. 
Since  that  day  conferences  have  been  held  between  the  Canadian 
and  Newfoundland  governments  on  the  subject  of  Confederation  ; 
but  they  have  not  as  yet  borne  fruit.  The  masses  still  view  the 
idea  of  union  with  alarm,  and  associate  it  with  the  threat  of  in- 
creased taxation. 

An  event  which  did  much  for  peace  between  the  Dominion  and 
the  Ancient  Colony  was  the  terrible  fire  which,  in  the  summer  of 
1892,  overwhelmed  the  city  of  St.  John's.     This  was   The  greatest 
the  third,  and  most  destructive,  by  which  the  city  has  \x\?,\Fi\^ 
been  scourged.     The  conflagration  began  among  the  J°**°'^- 
crowded  wooden  buildings  by  the  water,  and  before  a  favouring 
wind  it  spread  with  appalling  swiftness.     Men  delaying  to  save 


4i6 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


) 


their  property  barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  Stone  walls  shriv- 
elled like  leaves  in  the  intense  heat.  The  main  portion  of  the  city 
was  swept  out  of  existence.  The  greater  portion  of  the  population 
was  left  homeless  and  penniless.  In  the  hour  of  trouble,  however, 
Canada  came  to  the  rescue,  with  ready  sympathy  and  generous 
hands.  Towns  and  cities  vied  with  one  another  in  the  munifi- 
cence of  their  gifts.  The  Americans  gave  also  ;  but  their  contri- 
butions were  small  compared  with  those  of  Canada.  There 
followed  a  sudden  growth  of  good-will  toward  Canadians,  a  swift 
forgetfulness  of  petty  enmities. 

The  development  of  Newfoundland's  resources  has  gone  on  but 
slowly  during  the  past  four  or  five  years,  owing  to  the  financial 

^  ^  difficulties  of  the  province.     In   1801  were  held  the 

The  flnan-  '^  ■'■^ 

ciai disasters  provincial  elections,  in  which  Sir  William  VVhiteway's 
of  1895. 

government  was  sustained.     But  in  the  following  year 

the  Whiteway  ministry  lost  the  confidence  of  the  House,  and  a 
new  administration  was  formed  under  Mr.  Goodridge.  The  life 
of  this  administration  was  shout.  In  1895  the  island  was  swept 
by  a  wave  of  financial  ruin,  which  also  swept  the  Goodridge 
ministry  from  power.  The  banks  fell  with  a  crash  which  shattered 
the  proudest  fortunes  in  the  colony.  Great  mercantile  houses  of 
St.  John's  chased  each  other  into  bankruptcy.  The  Sanngs  Bank 
closed  its  doors.  There  was  no  money  to  buy  food.  The  people 
were  starving.  Again,  as  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire,  help  flowed 
in  from  abroad  ;  but  financially  the  province  was  prostrate.  Pro- 
posals of  Confederation  were  made  to  Canada  by  the  Whiteway 
government,  now  returned  to  power;  but  the  terms  offered  by 
Canada,  though  generous,  were  rejected  by  the  island.  At 
present  the  government  is  striving,  by  painful  economy  and  the 
aid  of  an   English  loan,  to  lift  the  province  out  of  its  despair. 


CHAPTER    XXVri. 


SECTIONS: — io8,    Intellectual    Progress.       109,    Material 
Progress,     no,  Present  Conditions;   and  the  Outlook. 

108.  Intellectual  Progress.  —  In  a  new  country,  like  Canada, 
material  must  precede  intellectual  progress.  The  first  makes 
possible  the  second.  In  the  beginnings  of  settlement,  and  for 
long  afterwards,  the  energies  of  a  pioneer  people  are  absorbed 
in  the  conquest  of  the  wilderness.     There  are  fields   „ 

'  Conditions  of 

to  be  cleared  :  houses  to  be  built :  roads,  canals,  rail-   liieiaanew 

Uuii 

ways,  dikes  to  be  constructed.  The  labour  of  the 
mine,  the  toil  of  the  fur-trade  and  the  fishery,  these  occupy  the 
busy  year.  The  hand  is  called  upon  rather  than  the  brain ;  the 
axe  is  busier  than  the  pen.  There  is  little  time  to  think  of  adorn- 
ing the  mind,  while  yet  the  bear  and  the  wolf  prowl  nightly  about 
the  cabin.  But  while  the  struggle  for  existence  is  still  keen  comes 
the  desire  for  education,  and  schoolhouses  spring  up  at  many  a 
lonely  cross-road.  Swiftly  civilization  wins,  the  wilderness  is 
subdued,  farm  and  village  thrust  back  the  forest,  the  land  takes 
on  a  new  face.  But  the  thoughts  and  tastes  of  the  people  are 
still  altogether  practical.  Science  is  the  first  of  intellectual  pur- 
suits to  find  favour  in  their  eyes.  It  siiows  new  ways  of  making 
nature  yield  tribute  to  man's  needs.  It  arms  him  for  Iresh  con- 
quests over  earth.  It  teaches  him  to  tunnel  mountains,  open 
mines,  cut  canals,  and  spread  his  shining  rails  like  giant  gossa- 
mers over  the  land.  So  comes  wealth,  and  with  wealth  leisure  ; 
and  with  leisure  the  desire  for  things  and  thoughts  not  altogether 
concerned  with  bread  and  butter,  but  beautiful  in  themselves 
2E  417 


4i8 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


'W 


and  ennobling  to  the  spirit.  At  this  stage  come  literature  and 
art,  the  choice  fruits  of  civilization.  This  stage  Canada  has 
reached  but  lately.  Her  literature  and  her  art,  therefore,  are 
only  beginning.  In  science  she  has  done  more  and  gone  further. 
Rut  in  education  she  has  made  the  greatest  progress.  For  this 
('anadians  have  cared,  while  yet  they  had  to  brush  the  sweat 
from  their  eyes  in  order  to  read  ;  and  as  a  consequence  Canada 
is  one  of  the  foremost  countries  of  the  world  in  the  matter  of 
poi)ular  education.  Hand  in  hand  with  education,  or  some- 
times, rather,  leading  it  by  the  hand,  went  religion ;  for  the 
makers  of  Canada,  whether  of  French  or  English  speech,  whether 
of  Catholic  or  Protestant  creed,  were  God-fearing  men.  In  each 
new  settlement,  church  and  schoolroom  usually  arose  at  the  same 
time. 

In  French  Canada  education  may  be  said  to  have  gone  on  the 
very  heels  of  colonization,  for  one  object  kept  in  view  by  the 
Education  in  founders  of  Quebec  was  the  instruction  and  conver- 
Canada.  ^^^^  ^f  ^^  Indians.     The  first  school  in  Canada  was 

at  Quebec,  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Its 
teachers  were  devoted  nuns.  Its  pupils  were  wild  Indian  chil- 
dren, liable  to  run  away  at  any  moment  if  they  got  homesick  for 
canoe  and  wigwam.  In  the  French  province  free  schools  were 
established  in  1801.  In  the  English  setdements  the  population 
scattered  itself  over  wide  areas,  burying  itself  deeper  in  the  wilds. 
The  first  schoolhouses  of  these  settlements  were,  as  a  rule,  rude 
cabins  of  logs  "  chinked "  with  moss  and  mud.  The  school- 
house  stood,  most  often,  in  a  lonely  spot  and  at  the  meeting- 
place  of  one  or  more  of  the  backwoods  roads.  The  site  was 
chosen  so  as  to  accommodate  the  greatest  number  of  pupils.  As 
the  district  gained  in  wealth,  and  children  became  more  numer- 
ous, a  rude  frame  building  soon  took  the  place  of  the  log  cabin. 
Rough  desks  were  ranged  around  the  wall,  and  children  sat 
painfully  dangling  their  legs  all  day  from  hard,  high  benches 
without  backs.  In  summer  there  was  generally  no  school,  for 
the  bigger  children  were  kept  busy  on  the  farms.     In  winter  the 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 


419 


ture  and 
lada  has 
ifore,  are 
2  further. 

Kor  tliis 
he  sweat 
e  Canada 
matter  of 
or  some- 
;  for  the 
1,  whether 
In  each 

the  same 

ne  on  the 
w  by  the 
d  conver- 
mada  was 
itury.     Its 
lian  chil- 
nesick  for 
ools  were 
)()pulation 
the  wilds, 
rule,  rude 
:   school- 
meeting- 
site  was 
apils.     As 
re  numer- 
og  cabin, 
dren   sat 
benches 
chool,  for 
inter  the 


walk  to  school  was  a  tramp  of  perhaps  five  or  six  mile:s  through 
the  deep  snow,  in  the  stinging  frost  of  early  morning,  in  nur.- 
tened  but  aching  fingers  the  puj)ils  carried  their  bundle  of  worn 
school-books  and  their  well-filleil  dinner-basket.  The  open  fire- 
place that  at  first  warmed  the  schoolhouse  was  soon  sup[jlanted 
by  a  sturdy  box  stove,  around  which  the  benches  were  drawn 
close  at  recess  and  dinner  hour.  The  gaping  cracks  of  the 
warped  board  floor  swallowed  many  a  pen,  slate-pencil,  and 
treasured  jack-knife.  The  hours  were  i)ainUiIly  long,  but  the 
discipline,  though  severe,  was  irregular ;  and  Lhe  room  was  filled 
with  a  clamour  of  recitation,  studying  "out  loud,"  and  surrep- 
titious talk.  The  subjects  taught  were  reading,  writing,  elemen- 
tary rules  of  arithmetic,  and  sometimes  a  little  geography  and 
grammar.  The  teachers,  as  a  rule,  were  wretchedly  paid  and 
worse  prepared.  Sometimes  they  knew  little  more  than  their 
pupils.  To  eke  out  their  subsistence  they  had  to  turn  their  hands 
to  many  an  odd  job  outside  their  profession.  They  receiveil  a 
portion  of  their  pay  by  "  boarding  around,"  as  the  process  was 
called ;  that  is,  certain  families  of  the  district,  instead  of  contrib- 
uting money  to  the  teacher's  salary,  would  take  him  to  live  with 
them  for  a  certain  length  of  time,  thus  paying  him  in  board  and 
lodging.  As  it  was  the  poorer  families  that  chose  to  pay  in  this 
way,  the  arrangement  possessed  few  charms  for  the  teacher.  The 
contrast  between  the  public  schools  of  those  days  and  our  pres- 
ent typical  public  schools  is  as  sharp  as  the  contrast  between 
backwoods  and  boulevard.  All  the  provinces  of  Canada  have 
now  elaborate  school  systems,  under  which  the  minutest  details  of 
l)ublic  education  are  in  the  care  of  responsible  officials.  Nowa- 
days, in  all  but  the  poorest  and  remotest  districts,  the  school- 
house  is  at  least  as  comfortable  as  the  home,  and  generally  better 
ventilated,  better  lighted,  bett  r  warmed.  The  path  of  learning 
is  made  pleasant  for  young  feet,  and  it  is  everywhere  recognized 
that  education,  to  be  thorough,  must  be  interesting.  The  hand 
that  chiefly  worked  this  change  was  that  of  Egerton  Ryerson, 
who  may  be  called  the  father  of  the  Canadian   public   school. 


420 


rl   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


m 


m 


till 


I 


Ryerson  gave  Ontario  a  public  school  system  second  to  none  in 
the  world,  and  the  model  thus  afforded  by  Ontario  has  been 
studied  with  effect  by  the  sister  provinces.  Three  years  after 
the  uiiioa  of  llpjier  and  Lower  Canada,  Ryerson  was  made  chief 
superintendent  of  education.  He  studied  the  best  educational 
sy.stems  of  the  world  and  borrowed  freely  from  Europe  and 
America  to  complete  his  scheme,  which  has  ripened  gradually 
to  a  perfection  commanding  everywhere  the  applause  of  practical 
educators.  Tht  public  school  instruction  leads  directly  to  the 
high  schools  and  collegiate  institutes,  and  thence  to  the  Univer- 
sity of  Toronto,  which  crowns  the  fliir  edifice.  The  system  of 
Ontario  may  be  taken  as  (airly  typical,  though  the  other  prov- 
inctrs  have  made  certain  changes  to  suit  special  needs.  In  all 
alike  the  public  schools  are  supported  by  government  and  local 
grants.  All  the  people  are  taxed  for  school  purposes,  and  to  all 
the  schools  are  free.  Two  of  the  provinces,  Quebec  and  Ontario, 
allow  of  separate  schools  for  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants. 
Ill  the  others  no  distinction  of  creed  is  recognized.  In  Ontario, 
educational  matters  are  in  the  care  of  a  department  of  the  pro- 
vincial government,  presided  over  by  the  minister  of  education. 
In  the  other  provinces  these  affairs  are  managed  by  a  superin- 
tendent and  board  of  education,  attached  to  the  department  of 
the  provincial  secretary. 

Our  most  important  universities,  in  the  order  of  seniority,  are 
as  follows:  King's  College,  Nova  Scotia  (rySg);  the  Univer- 
Canadian  sity  of  New  Brunswick,  Fredericr.un,  New  Brunswick 
Universities,  (^goo);  McGill  College,  Montreal  (1813);  Dal- 
housie  College,  Halifax  (1821)  ;  the  University  of  Toronto, 
Toronto  (1827)  ;  Acadia  College,  Wolfville,  Nova  Scotia  (1838)  ; 
Queen's  College,  Kingston,  Ontario  (1841);  Victoria  College, 
formerly  at  Cobourg,  Ontario,  now  at  Toronto  in  combination 
with  tlie  University  of  Toronto  (1841)  ;  Bishop's  College,  Len- 
noxville,  Qiiel)ec  (1843);  Irinity  College,  Toronto  (r852)  ; 
Laval  University,  Quebec  (1852)  ;  St.  Michael's  C'ollege,  Tor- 
onto (1852);    the   University   of  Mount  Allison,  SackviUe,  New 


SCIENCE. 


421 


Brunswick  (1862)  ;  the  Ontario  Agricultural  College,  Guelph, 
Ontario  (1874)  ;  the  University  of  Manitoba,  Winnipeg,  Mani- 
toba (1877)  ;  McMaster  University,  Toronto  (1888).  There 
are  other  colleges  doing  good  work,  besides  a  number  of  theo- 
logical and  technical  schools,  and  schools  for  women  only.  l'2ach 
jtfovince  has  well-equipped  X'jrmal  Schools  for  thi;  training  of 
its  teachers,  and  there  are  flouri.shuig  schools  of  agriculture  iu 
Quebec  and  Nova  Scotia.  Out  of  Canada's  five  million  people, 
it  is  estimated  that  more  than  one  million  are  in  attendance  at 
her  schools  and  colleges.  If  the  civilisation  of  a  country  is  to 
be  judged  from  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  its  people, 
then  Canada's  place  must  be  high  upon  the  roll. 

Canada's  contribution  to  science  is  of  two  kinds.  She  has  pro- 
duced several  eminent  scientists ;  and  she  has  organized,  under 
government  direction,  a  thoroughly  equipped  geo- 
logical survey,  which  year  '  ^  2ar  adds  richly  to  the 
world's  store  of  scientific  knowledge.  Though  first  of  all  occupied 
in  the  national  task  of  discovering  and  making  known  the  resources 
of  our  own  country,  the  work  of  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey 
reaches  far  beyond  those  limits.  The  present  director  of  the 
Survey  is  Doctor  Selwyn.  The  first  great  name  in  Canadian 
science  is  that  of  Sir  William  Logan,  who  l)ecame  the  head  of  the 
Geological  Survey  in  184/.  He  was  born  in  Montreal  in  1798, 
and  in  1856  was  knighted  for  his  services  in  the  cause  of  science. 
Certain  rock  formations  which  enter  largely  into  the  structure  of 
earth's  framework  are  known  the  world  over  as  the  Laurtntian 
rocks.  This  was  the  name  given  them  by  Logan,  who  studied  the 
formation  among  the  hilis  of  the  lower  St.  I,awrence.  Logan  died 
in  1875.  A  name  perhaps  even  more  illustrious  than  his,  is  that 
of  Sir  William  Dawson.  Born  in  Pictou,  Nova  Scotia,  in  1S20, 
educated  at  Pictou  Academy  and  Fklinburgh  University,  Dawson 
was  made  superintendent  of  educition  in  his  native  province  at 
the  early  age  of  thirty.  In  this  post  his  energy  nad  ability  were 
so  conspicuous  that  in  1855  he  was  made  principal  of  McGiil 
University.       His    most    important    works    are    the    "Acadian 


422 


A   HISTORY  Oh    f.lA'A/J.l. 


i(l 


r.- 


:.   » 


Geology,"  "Fossil  Mon,"  "Origin  of  the  Ilarth,"  and  "  The 
Chain  of  Life."  To  him  we  owe  the  discovery  of  the  e  rUest 
form  of  animal  life,  and  to  his  patriotism  we  owe  the  fact  thai  this 
first  of  creatures  is  kniiwn  to  the  scientilic  world  as  the  ^'Eozoon 
Candih'usf."  Sir  William  Dawson  in  iiS86  was  elected  to  the  ilis- 
tiiigui.shed  office  of  i)resi<lciU  of  the  Uritisli  Association  fur  the 
Advancement  of  S.'.ience.  The  late  Sir  Daniel  Wilson,  though 
born  in  Edinburgh  and  with  his  reputation  won  before  coming  to 
Canada,  may  be  claimed  l)y  Canadian  science.  Being  made 
president  of  Toronto  University,  he  identified  himself  completely 
with  ('anadian  interests,  and  his  most  important  contribution  to 
science,  t!ie  vohmu;  on  "  Prehistoric  Man,"  was  written  after  he 
became  a  t.'anadi.in.  Among  our  contem|>orary  men  of  science 
stands  preeminent  the  veteian  worker,  .Saiultunl  i<"leming,  chan- 
cellor of  (Queen's  University,  whose  patriotism  and  learning  are 
ever  pointing  the  way  to  national  achievements,  and  li!>  energy 
pressing  them  to  fuliilment.  lie  first  showed  the  feasibility  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  finding  for  it  a  path  through  the 
nioimtains.  He  has  identified  the  name  of  Canada,  and  his 
own  name,  with  the  system  of  standard  time  which  now  prevails 
all  over  Canada  and  the  United  States,  and  which  will  in  all  likeli- 
hood be  adopted  by  the  world.  His  steady  advocacy  of  a  Pacific 
cable  between  Canada  and  Australasia  seems  now  about  to  win  the 
fruits  ( f  success.  Otner  Canadians  there  are  whose  hands  are  carry- 
ing onward  the  torch  of  knowledge ;  but  while  they  are  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  us  in  contemporary  emulation,  their  names  are  not 
matter  for  history.     A  later  day  will  decide  their  rank  and  fiime. 

P'or  causes  which  we  have  already  seen,  literature  has  been  a 
plant  of  slow  growth  on  Canadian  soii.     During  the  larger  portion 

of  our  history,  moreover,  there  has  been  wanting  that 
Literature.  ,      ^         .        ,  .  .  ,  ,  .    , 

warmth  of  national  sentiment  without  which,  no  matter 

how  favourable  other  conditions  may  be,  a  great  imaginative  litera- 
ture does  not  spring  up.  In  spite  of  obstacles,  however,  Canada 
has  done  enough  to  show  the  strong  imaginative  and  intellectual 
bent  of  her  people.     Her  contribution  to  the  world's  literature  is 


LITER  A  TURE, 


423 


.1  "The 
!  c,  iliest 
thai  this 

I  the  liis- 
1  for  tlie 
,  tlioii^^h 
oining  U) 
ig    uuidc 
)m[ilelely 
billion  to 
at'icr  1)0 
f  science 
ng,  chan- 
rnuig  are 
i;,  energy 
-.ibihty  of 
"ough  the 
,  and  his 
prt'vails 
all  likL-li- 
a  Pacific 
o  win  the 
are  carry- 
shoulder 
s  are  not 
d  fame, 
s  been  a 
r  portion 
ting  that 
no  matter 
ve  litera- 
,  Canada 
lellectual 
erature  is 


more  distinguished  than  that  of  any  other  colony.  It  is  immeas- 
urably richer  than  anything  that  tlie  great  kindred  rei)iiblic  to 
the  soiitii  of  us  could  boast,  till  more  than  hall"  a  century  of 
national  life  had  given  her  a  jiopnlation  five  tinges  as  numerous  as 
our^.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  need  of  literary  expression 
coald  not  arise  very  early  in  a  people  whoso  energies  were  ab- 
Kfirbed  in  the  stru-^'glc  for  life,  and  whose  cravings  for  inteliet  tual 
food  had  the  literatures  of  I'Vaiu  e  and  laigland  to  satisfy  them. 
The  earliest  Canadian  writings  are,  as  might  be  expected,  in 
the  French  language.  The  father  of  Canada,  Chami)lain,  was  his 
own  historian,  and  his  narrations  may  justify  us  in  calling  him  the 
father  of  Canadian  literature.  In  tlu;  same  way  we  may  claim 
the  writings  of  Marc  Lescarbot,  the  iinmortalizer  of  Port  Royal, 
and  of  Charlevoix,  wliose  hi.->tories  of  "  La  Nouvelle  I'rance  "  are 
(.'anatlian  in  origin  and  subject.  With  them  may  be  mentioned 
the  "  Jesuit  Relations,"  and  Father  I,afitaa's  work  on  the  American 
Indians,  which  was  published  at  Paris  in  i7i.'4.  All  these,  how- 
ever, must  be  regarded  as  Canadian  literature  merely  by  courtesy. 
Those  early  days  of  Canada  produced  not  literature  Imt  the  mate- 
rials of  literature,  —  the  inspiration  for  poets,  historians,  novelists, 
to  come.  The  real  beginnings  of  a  literary  spirit  in  Canada  may 
be  said  to  date  from  the  triumph  of  Re.->])onsible  Government. 
That  struggle  had  broadened  men's  minds  and  taught  tluun  to 
think  for  themselves.  With  the  consciousness  of  power  came  the 
desire  for  expression,  (iood  work  was  done  in  the  newspapers, 
chiefly,  of  course,  on  political  cpiestions.  Patriotic  poems  nd 
essays  were  written,  like  those  of  the  accomplished  orator  and 
statesman,  Joseph  Howe.  In  Nova  Scotia  now  arose  the  in;)st 
distinguished  of  native  Canadian  writers,  Thomas  Chandler  '  ali- 
burton.  Haliburton  was  born  at  Annapolis  in  1790.  H*^  was 
educated  at  King's  College,  Windsor,  practised  law,  sat  as  a  em- 
ber of  the  provincial  Legislature,  and  was  finally  called  t<  the 
bench.  He  wrote  "An  Historical  and  Statistical  Account  of  -lova 
Scotia,"  and  a  number  of  other  books  ;  but  the  work  on  which  rests 
his  fame  is  "The  Clockmaker  ;  or  Sayings  and  Doings  of  Sam 


424 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Hv 


^ 


I  t 


Slick  of  Slickville."  The  shrewd  and  racy  utterances  of  the 
Yankee  clockmaker  became  popular  at  once.  First  published  by 
Joseph  Howe,  in  his  famous  newspaper  the  Novasrotiati,  they 
were  reprinted  in  England  and  America ;  and  Haliburton  be- 
came the  progenitor  of  a  brilliant  line  of  American  humorists.  In 
recognition  of  his  genius  the  University  of  Oxford  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  D.C.L.,  —  after  which  his  own  Alma  Mater, 
King's  College,  tardily  accorded  him  a  like  honour.  HaHburton 
became  generally  known  by  the  name  of  his  immortal  creation  ; 
and  the  old  Haliburton  house  at  Windsor  is  called  popularly  "Sam 
Slick's  place."  His  humour  was  pointed  with  a  pungent  satire 
which  often  touched  his  fellow-countrymen  on  the  raw.  Behind 
it  lay  the  patr  otic  motive  of  arousing  the  provincialists  to  their 
splendid  opportunities,  and  shaming  them  into  emulation  of  the 
sharp  and  active  Yankees.  The  effort  has  not  been  all  in  vain. 
At  length  Haliburton's  fame  led  to  the  offer  of  a  seat  in  the  British 
House  of  Commons.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  in  1859 
Haliburton  became  member  for  Launceston.  He  died  in  Eng- 
land in  1865. 

Canadian  literature,  like  Canadian  life,  may  be  said  to  flow  in 
two  parallel  streams,  in  closest  connection  but  not  intermingling. 
At  first  the  greater  fruitfulness  was  found  in  the  French  tongue, 
but  in  lUiT  years  this  difference  has  vanished,  and  now  the  work 
of  English  Canadians  is  inferior  neither  in  quality  nor  volume  to 
that  of  their  French  kindred.  In  history  the  great  work  of  Fran- 
<;ois  Xavier  (iarneau,  the  first  volume  of  which  appeared  at  Que- 
bec in  1S45,  had  long  to  wait  ere  English  Canada  could  produce 
its  peer.  Ciarneau's  work  covers  the  history  of  Canada  down  to 
the  union  of  1841,  An  English  translation  appeared  in  1S60. 
Other  I'rench  Canadian  historians  of  distinction  are  iiibaud  (who 
wrote  before  Garneau),  Ferland,  and  Turcotte.  The  Abb6  Faillon, 
after  a  ten  years'  residence  in  Canada,  wrote  a  valuable  history  of 
the  French  province.  Among  contemporaries  whose  reputation  is 
secure  must  be  named  the  Abb6  Casgrain  and  Monsieur  Benja- 
min Suite.     Of  historical  value,  though  in  the  form  of  a  romance,  is 


LITER  A  TUKE. 


425 


de  Gaspi^'s  "Les  Anciens  Canadiens,"  in  which  the  life  of  P'rench 
Canada  before  the  Conquest  is  reproduced  with  a  picturesque  and 
loving  touch.  Among  Canadian  liistorians  writing  in  English  must 
be  mentioned,  besides  HaHburton,  c '.other  Nova  Scotian  who  was 
educated  at  Windsor,  namely,  Robert  Christie,  whose  "  History  of 
Lower  Canada  "  was  contemporary  with  Garneau's  work.  Weighty 
and  authoritative  is  Alpheus  Todd's  ''  History  of  Parliamentary 
(government  in  England."  Eminent  among  contemporaries  is 
Doctor  Kingsford,  of  wKti:  e  monumental  history  eight  volumes 
have  appeared.  It  is,  as  far  as  now  completed,  the  most  com- 
plete history  of  Canada  in  existence.  The  volumes  of  Doctor 
J.  G.  Bourinot  have  won  acceptance  all  over  the  English-speaking 
world.  Doctor  Bourinot's  most  iniportant  work  is  entitled  "  Par- 
liamentary Practice  and  Procedure."  Perhaps  the  most  conspic- 
uous figure  in  Canadian  literature  at  the  present  day  is  that  of 
Professor  Goldwin  Smith,  whose  work  is  chiefly  historical.  Gold- 
win  Smith's  fame  was  established  l)efore  he  came  to  Canada.  He 
was  bom  in  En^'land  in  1823.  In  1871  he  settled  in  Toronto. 
Some  of  his  writings  are  Canadian  in  subject,  but  they  are  far  from 
Canadian  in  sentiment.  His  style  is  marked  by  incisive  vigour 
and  picturesque  effect.  His  most  important  work  is  "  Tiie  United 
States;  an  Outline  of  Political  History,"  published  in  1893. 

In  fiction  the  Canadian  output  has  not  l)een  large,  until  within 
the  p.*  t  Tive  years.  Besides  Haliburton  and  de  Gasp6,  already 
mentioned,  the  chief  names  are  those  of  James  de  Mille,  author 
of"  Cord  and  Creese,"  the  "  Dodge  Club,"  etc.  ;  Joseph  Marmette, 
author  of  "  Francois  de  Bienville  "  and  other  historical  romances  ; 
and  William  Kirby,  author  of  "  The  Golden  Dog."  The  French 
Canadian  poet,  Pamphile  le  May,  has  written  several  entertaining 
romances.  In  the  present  day  a  strong  school  of  Canadian  fiction 
is  arising. 

The  first  Canadian  poet  of  genuine  gift  was  O  tave  Cr^mazie, 
who  wrote  in  French.  His  lyrics  are  full  of  patriotic  fervour. 
More  famous  than  Cr<^mazie  is  Louis  Honore  Frechette,  whose 
poems  in  1880  won  for  Canada  the  laurel  wreath  of  the  French 


426 


^1   HISTORY  Op-  CANADA. 


Academy.  The  volumes  thus  honoured  by  the  highest  Hterary 
tribunal  in  France  were  "  Les  Fleurs  Boreales"  and  "  Les  Oiseaux 
de  Neige."  Frechette  was  born  at  L^vis  in  1839,  OiiuT  names 
long  established  in  French  Canadian  poetry  are  tho.io  ui  P.  |.  O. 
Chauveau  and  Pamj)hile  le  May.  The  earliest  Canadian  poet 
writing  in  F^nghsh  was  (Jharles  Sangster,  whose  mei-,c.al  description 
of  Canadian  scenes  were  first  published  in  1856.  llii  verse  is 
full  of  genuine  Canadian  feeling.  Alexander  McLachlan,  as  far 
back  as  1861,  sang  of  life  in  the  back  settlements.  T!ie  most 
important  poem  of  pre-Confederation  days,  and  in  some  respects 
perJKips  the  greatest  piece  of  Canadian  verse,  was  the  drama  of 
"Saul,"  by  Charles  Heavysege,  published  at  Montreal  in  1857. 
This  work  received  commendation  in  England  and  America. 
Midway  between  the  older  men  and  the  young  writers  now  known 
as  the  Canadian  School  stand  John  Reade,  Hunter  Duvar,  and 
Charles  Mair.  The  former  published  in  1870  a  book  of  scholarly 
and  well-wrought  verse,  "  The  Pro[jhecy  of  Merlin,  and  Other 
Poems."  Hunter  Duvar's  chief  work  is  a  viL^orous  historical 
drama  on  the  subject  of  Fvoberval.  Charles  Mair  issued  a  thin 
volume,  called  '''  Dieamlanti,"  in  1868,  and  in  1886  a  drama  en- 
tided  "Tecumseh."  This  thoroughly  Canadian  creation,  full  of 
sturdy  patriotism,  brings  tlie  author  into  touch  with  the  e.iger 
band  of  young  writers  now  winning  their  spurs  in  the  literary 
arena  of  the  world.  The  figures  of  our  younger  writers  —  poets, 
novelists,  essayists,  historians  —  are  still  obscured  by  the  dust  of 
struggle.  They  stand  too  nepf  to  let  us  judge  their  proportions 
accurately.  They  have  gained  a  creditable  standing  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  ;  but  it  is  not  for  a  contemporary  to  say  which  heads  of 
them  tower  the  highest,  which  names  should  live  on  the  piiges 
of  our  country's  history.  Suffice  to  say  that  they  are  helping  to 
give  effective  form  to  the  growing  national  sentiment  of  our  people. 
In  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada,  science  and  literature  meet  on 
common  ground.  French  and  English  writers  are  drawn  together 
in  sympatheiic  emulation.  The  society  was  founded  by  the  Mar- 
r[uis  of  Lome,  acr.ing  with  some  of  the  most  distinguished  leaders 


ROYAL   SOC/ETY  AND   ROY  AT    ACADEMY. 


427 


of  thought  in  the   Dominion.     Its  object  was  the  development  of 

literature  an-d  science  iii  Canada.     Its  first  meeting  was  held  at 

Ottawa,  in  1882,  with  Sir  William  Dawson  as  president, 

'  '    The  Royal 

the   Hon.   P.  J.  O.  Chauveau  as  vice-president.     The   Society  of 

.     .  Canada. 

membershij)  of  the  society  was  limited  to  eighty, 
divided  into  four  sections  of  twenty  each.  Each  section  elects 
its  own  members.  Section  1.  is  devoted  to  French- L'anulian 
Literature  and  History;  Section  H.  to  English-Canadian  Litera- 
ture and  History;  Section  LIL  to  Mathematical,  Physical,  and 
C'hemical  Science  ;  Section  IV.  to  (Geological  and  Biological 
Science.  The  society  holds  its  annual  meetings  in  May,  usually 
at  Ottawa,  and  publishes  every  year  a  large  volume  of  transac- 
tions. These  volumes  contam  an  immense  amount  of  valuable 
matter,  the  result  of  original  research  in  the  fields  of  history, 
archaeology,  and  the  various  branch-^^is  of  science.  The  expense 
of  their  publication  is  covered  by  a  government  grant. 

What  the  Royal  Society  of  Canadii  would  fain  do  for  literature 
and  science,  the  Royal  C'anadian  Academy  seeks  to  do  for  art. 
This  institution  was  fouiidetl  by  Lord  Lome  and  the 
Princess    Louise,    in    1880. 


The  Royal 
its    first   president  was  Canadian 

Academy, 


L.  R.  O'Brien,  one  of  the  most  successful  of  Cana-   and  art  in 

Canada, 
dian  painters.     Its  members  are  distinguished  by  the 

title  of  Royal  Canadian  Academician,  but  the  title  of  Associate 
Academician  may  be  conferred  uj)on  others  not  yet  admitted 
to  full  membership.  Almost  all  Canadian  artists  of  repute  are 
on  the  rolls,  either  as  full  members  or  associates.  Exhibitions 
have  bet.'U  held  in  various  citi'^s  of  Canada,  but  the  Academy 
languishes  for  lack  of  public  sujiport.  Canadian  art  has  been 
very  slow  to  develop,  but  the  interest  of  Canada  in  her  artists 
grows  yet  more  slowly.  In  sculpture  we  have  little  of  native 
origin  to  show  except  the  excellent  work  of  Hd'bert,  a  French- 
Canadian.  But  in  painting  the  product  is  richer,  and  the  work 
of  some  Canadian  painters  wins  favour  in  the  galleries  and  mar- 
kets of  the  world.  Paul  Kane,  a  depicter  of  Indian  life,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  pioneer  of  Canadian  art.     The  names  of  Verner, 


428 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


If 


Fraser,  Sandham,  Forbes,  Forster,  Harris,  Matthews,  Bell-Smith, 
Reid,  Bourassa,  Walker,  Homer  Watson,  emerge  into  prominence 
among  a  large  number  who  are  doing  creditable  work.  Which  of 
them  will  win  permanent  fame  remains  to  be  seen.  They  are 
contemporaries;  and  therefore,  though  we  may  rightly  take  a 
patriotic  pride  in  their  works,  it  is  too  soon  to  hazard  a  judgment 
on  their  relative  importance.  An  artist  of  genuine  gift  was  ..!ie 
young  Canadian,  Paul  Peel,  who  died  as  he  stood  on  the  thresh- 
old of  fame,  crowned  with  the  highest  approval  of  the  Paris 
Salon.  At  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  in  1893,  a  number  of 
Canadian  artists  were  represented,  and  several  prizes  were  won  by 
Canadian  pictures.  Most  conspicuous  among  these  was  a  large 
and  effective  painting  called  "  The  Foveclosure  of  the  Mortgage," 
by  George  Reid. 

There  is  inspiring  material  for  Canadian  artists  in  our  land- 
scapes an.'  in  the  romantic  pages  of  our  history ;  and  when  our 
people  s  ipply  a  more  stimulating  sympathy,  and  our  chief  cities 
awaken  to  the  need  of  establishing  art-galleries  to  advance  the 
culture  of  their  citizens,  then  the  struggling  seedling  of  Canadian 
art  will  doubtless  expand  in  swift  and  vigorous  growth. 

rog.  Material  Progress.  —  The  first  Canadian  railway  was 
begun  in  1S32.  It  was  about  fourteen  miles  in  length,  and  ran 
from  La  Prairie  on  the  St.  Lawrence  to  St.  John's  on 
the  Richelieu,  thus  connecting  the  St.  Lawrence  with 
the  navigable  waters  of  Lake  ("hamplain.  In  1835  a  railway  was 
projected  between  Quebec  and  the  winter  port  of  St.  Andrews, 
New  Brunswick.  Work  wis  under  way  on  this  line  when  the  Ash- 
burton  Treaty  of  1842  gave  the  United  States  a  great  ])ortion  of 
the  territory  over  which  the  road  was  to  run;  and  the  enterprise 
was  therefore  given  up.  At  the  time  of  Confederation  Canada 
had  twenty-two  Imndred  .?,nd  fifty-eight  miles  of  railway.  Now, 
by  the  returns  of  1893,  she  has  fifteen  thousand  and  twenty 
miles  in  opeiatiou.  Of  these>  fifty-seven  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  l)eloug  to  the  (.,'anadian  Pacific  system,  thirty-one  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  miles  to  the  Crand  'I'runk   system,  and  thirteen 


Railways. 


CHI  G  NEC  TO   SHIP  RAILWAY. 


429 


hundred  and  eighty-four  to  the  Intercolonial  system,  all  of 
which  have  been  discussed  in  earlier  chapters.  In  her  rail- 
ways Canada  has  nearly  nine  hundred  millions  of  ])aid-up 
capital  invested.  In  railway  mileage  Canada  ranks  seventh 
among  the  countries  of  the  world,  the  United  States  coming 
first  with  one  hundred  and  sixty- five  thousand  miles,  then  the 
British  Empire,  German  Empire,  France,  Russian  Empire,  and 
Austrian  Empire,  in  the  order  named.  Canada  has  many  ad- 
ditional railways  either  under  construction  or  projected.  The 
most  interesting  of  these  are  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  and  the 
Chignecto  Ship  Railway.  Of  the  Hudson  Bay  Railway  some 
forty  or  fifty  miles  are  built.  The  hne  runs  northward  from 
Winm[)eg  and  is  mtended  to  reach  Hudson  Bay  either  at  Port 
Nelson  or  Port  Churchill.  T^is  would  give  a  summer  outlet 
for  the  produce  of  the  North-west,  by  water  route  throuf.;h 
Huilson's  Bay  and  Strait.  Owing  to  the  diminution  of  the  earth's 
circumference  as  it  approaches  the  poles,  the  distance  between 
Liver))ool  and  Port  Nelson  is  much  less  than  thai  between  Liverpool 
and  Montreal  or  New  York.  With  a  second  transcontinental  line 
from  Hudson  Bay  up  the  North  Saskatchewan  and  through  the 
I'eace  River  valley  to  Port  Simpson,  tlie  distance  between  Liver- 
pool and  Japan  would  be  reduced  by  nearly  two  thousand  miles. 
The  great  disadvantage  of  the  Hudson  Bay  route  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  season  of  navigation  in  bay  and  strait  is  brief,  as  a  rule 
not  more  than  three  months,  and  the  passage  much  obstructed  by 
focjs  and  ice-floes. 

The  Chignecto  Ship  Railway  is  an  enterDrise  which  has  come 
to  a  standstill  when  already  nearing  rompletioi;.     It  crosses  the 

Isthmus  of  Chignecto,  between  New  Brunswick  and   ^^. 

°  '  Chignecto 

Nova  Scotia,  and  connects  the  waters  of  ihe  Culf  of  ship  Raii- 

'  way. 

St.  Lawrence  with  those  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.     Its 

total  length  is  seventeen  miles.     It  is  designed  to  carry  ships,  of 

all  sizes  up  to  a  burden  of  two  thousand  tons,  from  water  to  water. 

At  either  eml  of  the  road  are  docks,  from  which  ships  are  to  be 

raised  on  hvdraulic  lifts  to  the  level  of  the  rails.      Secured  in  a 


430 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


n\ 


Canals, 


huge  steel  cradle,  the  ship  will  be  drawn  across  the  meadows  and 
through  the  hills  by  two  giant  locomotives,  and  lowered  again  to 
the  water  at  her  strange  journey's  end.  It  is  held  by  the  pro- 
moters that  the  ship  railway  will  be  cheaper  to  build  and  maintain 
than  a  canal  of  equal  ca])acity.  The  need  of  a  ship-way  across 
the  isthmus  has  been  felt  for  nearly  a  century.  If  the  railway 
proves  a  success,  the  problem  of  connection  between  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  waters  may  l)e  solved  by  a  ship  railway  across  the  Lsihmus 
of  Tehuantepec.  Another  interesting  possibility  is  a  ship  railway 
from  Georgian  Ray  to  the  lower  waters  of  Lake  Ontario. 

The  Chignecto  Ship  Railway  supplants  the  long-considered 
pr(>jecL  of  a  canal  between  the  Hay  of  Fundy  and  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence.  The  canal  system  of  Canada  is  one  of 
great  extent  and  imi>ortan<-e.  The  first  Canadian 
canal  was  that  at  Lachine,  nine  miles  long,  begun  in  1S21  and 
complt:  led  in  three  years.  Then  came  the  great  enterprise  of 
vanquishing  Niagara  Falls  and  opening  connection  between  I/akes 
Erie  and  Ontario.  This  was  accomplished  by  the  VVelland  Canal, 
in^icparably  connected  with  which  is  the  nan\e  of  its  dauntless 
})romoter,  William  H,  Merritt.  The  first  VVelland  Canal,  a  shal- 
low way  with  but  four  feet  of  water  in  the  locks,  was  open  in  1829. 
Now  the  canal  has  an  available  depth  of  fourteen  feet.  Its 
length  is  twenty-seven  miles.  These  canals  are  a  p;irt  of  the 
chief  canal  system  of  Canada,  that  of  the  St,  Lawrence,  which 
renders  available  twenty-two  hundred  and  sixty  miles  of  inland 
waterway.  The  most  capacious  canal  of  the  system  is  that 
which  overcomes  the  Falls  of  Ste.  Marie,  between  Lakes  Huron 
and  Superior.  The  volume  of  freight  passing  between  these 
lakes  in  one  summer  is  greater  than  that  passing  through  the  Suez 
Caual  u)  the  whole  year.  The  depth  of  water  in  the  Canadian 
Canid  (there  is  also  an  American  canal  at  Ste.  Marie)  is  twenty- 
two  feet.  The  vast  lock  is  nine  hundred  feet  in  length,  by 
sixty  in  width.  Certain  other  canals  of  the  St.  Lawrence  sys- 
tem have  a  depth  of  but  nine  feet.  It  is  now  proposed  to 
deepen  the  wiiole   system  to  twenty  feet,  thus  admitting  large 


1 


SlJirPlNG. 


43» 


ocean  ships  to  the  bead  of  Lake  Superior.  These  canals  are 
open  to  Americans  on  the  same  terms  as  to  Canadians.  Other 
important  canal  systems  of  Canada  are  the  Ri(Jeaii  and  Ottawa, 
giving  Ottawa  free  water  communication  with  Montreal  and  King- 
ston ;  and  the  Richelieu  and  Lake  Champlain  system,  connecting 
Montreal  with  New  York  by  way  of  the  Hudson  River.  Of  in- 
terest, too,  is  the  St.  Peter's  Canal,  giving  access  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Bras  d'Or  Lakes  which  open  up  the  heart  of  Cape 
Breton.  As  long  ago  as  1837  it  was  proposed  to  construct  a 
canal  between  the  Bay  of  Quintii  and  Georgian  Bay,  utilizing  the 
Trent  River  and  a  numl^er  of  the  lakes  whicn  lie  along  the  in- 
tended route.  The  whole  distance  is  two  hundred  and  thirty-five 
miles,  of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty  are  already  available  for 
small  vessels.  In  view  of  the  great  and  rapidly  growing  traffic  of 
the  upper  lakes,  the  i^'oject  has  lately  been  revived  and  may 
before  long  be  carried  out.  The  effect  of  deep  water  canals 
either  bCiWeen  Erie  and  Ontario  or  between  Ontario  and  Huron, 
and  also  around  the  various  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  would 
be  to  make  the  cities  of  the  lakes  practically  maritime  ports. 

Canada  is  a  great  maridme  nation.  After  the  fiir-trade,  the 
first  native  Canadian  industry  was  the  building  of  ships  in  which 
to  gather  the  rich  harvest  of  our  fisheries.  The  sea- 
board provinces  have  a  coast  line  serried  with  bays, 
and  estuaries,  ana  secure  little  havens.  Everywhere  at  hand  stood 
the  timber,  and  the  lure  of  the  fisheries  was  ever  present.  Each 
small  port  anil  creek-mouth  came  to  have  its  ship-yard.  The  men 
had  in  their  blood  thc^  seafaring  instinct  of  their  ancestors  ;  and 
soon  our  keels  were  furrowing  every  sea.  In  1723  shi]>l)uil(ling 
was  an  established  industry  with  us,  that  year  seeing  the  construe 
tion  of  two  men-of-war  and  six  merchant  ships.  The  device  on 
New  Brunswick's  shield  is  a  ship.  Our  daring  sailors  carried  their 
hnnber  and  their  fish  around  the  world,  and  brought  many  a  snug 
fortune  home  to  their  native  villages.  Canada  attained,  not  long 
after  Confederation,  the  rank  of  the  fourth  ship-owning  country 
of  the  world.     Her  coasts  are  studded  with   light-houses,   fog- 


Shipping. 


Il 


432 


A   inSTORY  OF  CANADA. 


:  H 


horns,  and  like  safeguards  to  the  mariner.  In  1893  the  registered 
ships  of  the  world  numbered  thirty-two  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  twenty-eight ;  of  this  number  seventy-ont  hundred  and  thir- 
teen were  Canadian,  or  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  whole.  The 
first  vessel  successfully  propelled  by  steam  was  Robert  Fulton's 
invention,  the  Clermont^  which  ran  on  the  Hudson  in  1807  ;  and 
only  two  years  later  a  steamboat  was  running  on  the  St.  Law- 
rence. The  first  steamship  to  cross  the  Atlantic  was  a  Canadian 
vessel,  the  Royal  William,  built  at  Quebec  in  1831,  and  supplied 
with  machinery  by  Montreal.  Canadian  in  its  origin  was  the  first 
successful  line  of  ocean  steamers,  the  great  Cunard  Line,  which 
was  begun  in  1840.  Its  founder  and  head  was  Samuel  Cunard,  of 
Halifax,  afterwards  made  a  baronet.  It  started  with  a  fleet  of  four 
steamers  plying  between  Liverpool,  Halifax,  and  Boston.  The  first 
distinctively  Canadian  ocean  steamers,  however,  were  those  of  the 
Allan  Line,  founded  by  Hugh  Allan,  plying  between  Liverpool 
and  Quebec  in  summer,  Liverpool  and  Halifax  in  winter.  The 
first  ship  of  this  line  was  the  Canadian,  built  in  1853.  Allan's 
genius  and  indomitable  energy  carried  the  enterprise  to  success 
through  myriad  obstacles,  and  won  him  the  honour  of  knighthood. 
Now  Canada  has  steamship  lines  on  both  oceans  and  on  all  her 
great  inland  waters.  She  has  fifteen  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
steamers  on  her  own  registry,  with  many  more  which  have  been 
transferred  to  the  British  registry.  The  great  maritime  achieve- 
ment of  Canada's  immediate  future  bids  fair  to  be  the  inaugu- 
ration of  a  line  of  large  and  swift  Atlantic  steamers,  equal  to  the 
best  of  those  running  out  of  New  York,  which  will  cut  down 
the  ocean  passage  by  way  of  the  Canadian  route  to  only  four 
days.  Of  late  years  the  conditions  of  shipping  and  ship-building 
have  greatly  changed.  All  over  the  world  the  sail  is  giving  way 
to  the  screw,  wooden  ships  to  those  of  iron  and  steel ;  but  Canada, 
with  her  vast  resources  in  iron,  coal,  and  nickel,  may  count  upon 
as  great  maritime  progress  under  the  new  conditions  as  under 
the  old. 

The  chief  of  all  the  industries  of  Canada  is  agriculture.     Our 


AGKICULrVRE,  MINES,  AND  FISHERIES. 


433 


Agriculture. 


soil  and  climate  enable  us  tci  produce  the  best  food  grains  of  the 
world,  the  best  appieS;  the  best  potatoes,  with  live-stock  and 
dairy  produce  inferior  to  none.  Half  our  population 
depends  upon  agriculture  for  a  livelihood,  and  our 
shipping  depends  upon  agriculture  for  more  than  half  its  freights. 
Canada  is  already  one  of  the  great  wheat  exporters  of  the  world, 
though  but  a  small  pioportion  of  her  wheat-lands  has  yet  been 
brought  under  cultivation.  She  may  reasonably  look  to  become 
the  chief  of  all  wheat  countries. 

The  wealth  of  our  soil  is  not  only  in  its  food  products  but  in  its 
m'nerals.     Our  tremendous  and  varied  mineral  wealth  is  as  yet 

barely  on  the  threshold  of  its  development.     In  coal, 

■^  '  '    Mines. 

iron,  lime,  petroleum,  salt,  copper,  nickel,  gold,  asbes- 
tos, our  resources  are  inexhaustible.  We  have  also  lead,  silver, 
platinum,  phosphates,  and  almost  all  the  other  important  minerals. 
Each  year  reveals  new  riches  nwaiting  our  capital  and  our  enter- 
prise. P>en  no\v,  when  we  may  be  snid  to  have  barely  scratched 
the  surface  in  a  few  ])laces,  the  yearly  product  of  our  mines  is 
worth  from  nineteen  to  twenty  millions.  In  the  harsh  and  deso- 
late regions  about  the  Arctic  Circle  lie  treasures  of  coal,  petro- 
leum, and  other  minerals,  which  are  likely  to  give  those  distant 
territories  a  value  not  possessed  by  many  more  favoured  climes. 
The  plains  through  which  the  giant  Mackenzie  rolls  its  northward 
way  grow  forbidding  to  husbandry  as  they  approach  the  Circle, 
but  do  not  cease  to  invite  the  miner's  toil.  It  is  not  unlikely  that 
they  will  some  day  be  thronged  with  a  busy  and  prosperous 
population. 

Not  from  the  soil  only,  but  also  from  the  sea,  does  Canada 
gather  in  her  harvests.     Her  fisheries  are  the  most  extensive  in 

the  world.      Her  deep-sea  fislieries  on  the  Atlantic  _  ^   . 

'  Fishenes. 

and  Pacific  coasts,  the  fresh-water  fishenes  of  her  great 
lakes  and  rivers,  yielded  in  1893  a  revenue  of  $21,000,000.     They 
are  the  object  of  incessant  care  to  the  government,  which  protects 
them  with  armed  cruisers  and  strict  regulations.    There  are  four- 
teen fish-breeding  establishments  in  Canada,  devoted  to  the  hatch- 

2F 


M«M 


434 


A   IITSTORY  OF  CANADA. 


ing  of  fish  spawn   and  the  stocking  of  w.Uers  with   young   fish. 

The  (juesiions  of  cod,  herring,  mackerel,  sahiion,  and  lobster  have 

seemed  im[jortant  enough  to  Icail  us  into  many  quarrels  with  our 

neighbours. 

Besides   these    pursuits,  of  late   there  has  grown  \ip  a   great 

manufacturing     interest.       In     1891     Canada    had     seventy-five 

thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-one  industrial  establisliments, 

,  ,    ,  .  wuh   a   caiiital   of   about   jS^tjs.ooo.ooo,   distributing 

Industries  '  .jj.m  >  n 

and  banking     in  wages  over  Sioo,o(K),ooo.     The  busmess  of  (.'an- 

systutn. 

ada  is  carried  on  through  the  medium  of  thirty-nine 
chartered  banks,  with  total  assets  of  over  S300, 000,000,  The 
Dominion  government  is.  ues  $21,000,000  of  notes.  Ttie  bank- 
ing system  is  both  safe  anil  elastic.  We  may  fairly  claim  it  to 
be  the  most  effective  banking  system  in  existence,  'f  he  oldest 
Canadian  bank,  as  well  as  the  richest,  is  the  Ban);  of  Montreal, 
established  in  1S17.  The  currency '  of  Canada  is  in  dollars  and 
cents.  She  issues  copper  and  silver  coin,  but  no  gold.  When 
gold  coins  are  used  in  Canada,  they  are  from  the  British  or 
American  mints. 

The  postal  system  of  Canada  is  elaborate  and  complete.  The 
general  letter  rate  is  three  cents  per  ounce  or  under.  In  1875 
Postii,  tele-  Canada  made  an  agreement  with  the  United  States  by 
teufpiVoue*^  which  a  Canadian  letter  goes  to  any  part  of  the  United 
systems.  States  for  the  same  postage  as  in  Canada,  and  an 
American  letter  goes  to  any  part  of  Canada  for  the  same  postage 
as  in  America.  There  is  no  account  kept  between  the  two  post- 
otfices,  but  each  country  carries  the  other's  letters  free.  In  1885 
Canada  became  a  member  of  the  Universal  Postal  Union,  which 
now  includes  almost  all  the  countries  of  the  civilized  world.  In 
1893    there  were  eighty-four  hundred   and   seventy-seven   post- 


1  The  former  currency  of  Canada  was  known  as  "  Ilalif ix  Currency."  It  used 
Ihie  names  pounds,  sliillinKs,  and  pence;  but  a  pound  ums  just  four  dollars,  instead 
of  j!;4.863.  Tliis  was  called  a  "  pound  currency,"  to  distinguish  it  ftoin  a  "pound 
sterling."  A  shilling  currency  was  20  cents,  and  si.vptnce  ciiireni.y  10  cents. 
House  rents  iti  the  "l:uitiine  Provinces  are  still  sometimes  reckoned  in  "pounds 
currency  "  by  the  older  people. 


Mil.  fTAK  Y  s  vs ri.  ^f. 


4'^5 


J 


ofiiix-s  in  C,;ii;id,i,  and  the  total  mmi'ier  of  letters  and  post-cards 
<;arri(*d  was  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  tnillion.  The 
telegraph  systems  of  (.'anadu  are  in  the  hands  of  private  (•t)ni- 
panies.  There  are  in  all  ahoul  thirty-two  thousand  miles  of  tele- 
graph line  in  (Canada,  in  which  respect  we  rank  eighth  among  the 
countries  of  the  world.  The  first  submarine  caole  of  the  vvorhl  was 
laid  between  Dover  jnd  Calais  in  1851.  In  the  following  year  was 
laid,  between  Prince  ICdward  Island  :ind  New  lirnnswitk,  the  fir^t 
cable  of  the  New  World  ;  and  the  second  cable  of  the  New  World 
was  laid  between  C'ape  Hreton  and  Newfoundland  iu  1S56.  The 
great  transatlantic  cables  from  lMiro|>'  all  terminate  in  Canada; 
and  as  a  resnlt  of  the  Colonial  Conference  of  1894  theie  is  to  be 
a  cable  system  from  our  shores  to  Australasia  and  the  Orient.  So 
close  are  we  drawing  to  that  Cathay  which  our  fathers  dreamed  of 
finding  and  died  in  search  of.  The  telephone  had  its  birth  in 
Canada.  The  first  telephone  ever  constructed  was  put  up  in  the 
town  of  Brantford,  Ontario.  It  connected  the  house  of  tlie 
inventor,  Graham  Ik'll,  with  that  of  a  neighbour.  In  1877,  at 
naniilt(jn,  the  first  business  line  was  established.  There  are  no\y 
nearly  fifty  thousand  miles  of  telephone  lines  in  (-;uia(la. 

At  Confederation  (Canada  took  upon  herself  the  charge  of  her 
own  defences,  and  Great  Britain,  as  we  have  seen,  withdrew  her 
troops,  except  those  of  the  Halifax  station.  The  Military 
naval  defences  of  our  seacoast  are  the  care  of  Eng-  ^v^'-''™' 
land's  ships.  The  headquarters  of  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron 
are  under  the  guns  of  Halifax,  upon  whose  mighty  fortifications 
Great  Britain  has  spent  millions.  Our  militia  system  is  under  the 
charge  of  a  minister  of  militia.  Subject  to  his  orders  is  the 
gener.'d-in-coinmand,  whose  a[)poinlment,  however,  rests  with 
the  Imperial  government.  The  lir.-it  minister  of  militia  was  the 
great  French-Canadian,  Sir  George  Cartier.  The  first  Dominion 
Militia  Act  was  passed  in  1868,  and  has  been  much  mollified 
since.  As  it  now  stands,  the  militia  of  Canada  consists  of  all 
the  male  inhabitants  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  sixty, 
except  clergymen,  judges,  and  certain  odier  officials.     One  who 


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A   HIJTORY  OF  CANADA. 


is  the  only  son  and  sole  support  of  a  widow  is  also  exempt.  The 
sons  of  Canada  who  are  liable  for  military  service  are  divided 
into  four  classes:  —  (i)  Unmarried  men  or  childless  widowers 
between  eighteen  and  thirty  ;  (2)  Unmarried  men  or  childless 
widowers  between  thirty  and  forty-five ;  (3)  Men  between  eigh- 
teen and  forty  five  who  are  married,  or  widowers  with  children  ; 
(4)  Men  between  forty-five  and  sixty.  These  are  called  upon, 
in  case  of  necessity,  in  the  order  of  their  classes.  There  is 
a  further  division  into  Permanent,  Active,  and  Reserve  Militia. 
The  permanent  corps  is  limited  to  one  thousand  men,  and  con- 
sists of  Cavalry,  Artillery,  and  Infantry.  These  do  garrison  duty, 
and  also  serve  as  schools '  of  instruction  for  members  of  the  Active 
Militia.  There  is  also  the  permanent  corps  of  one  thousand 
North-west  Mounted  Police,  already  referred  to.  The  Active 
Militia  is  limited  to  forty-five  thousand,  who  serve  for  three  years, 
and  drill  from  eight  to  sixteen  days  each  year.  The  Reserve 
Militia  consists  of  all  those  who  are  not  in  the  permanent  or 
active  corps.  The  Dominion  is  divided  into  twelve  military  dis- 
tricts, each  under  the  command  of  a  deputy  adjutant-general 
and  rormanent  staff.  The  militia  expenditure  for  each  year  is 
from  one  to  two  millions.  The  number  of  men  between  eighteen 
and  forty-five,  now  available  for  service  in  case  of  war,  is  some- 
thing over  a  million. 

At  Kingston  is  our  Royal  Military  College,  of  which  Canada 
IS  justly  proud.  It  was  fotmded  in  1875,  ^"^  ^^^  graduates  have 
Royal  Mill-  done  their  country  credit.  Eighty-five  of  them  have 
toryCoUege.  received  commissions  in  the  Imperial  Army.  Among 
these  are  two  of  Canada's  heroes,  her  youngest  but  not  least 
glorious.  Captain  William  Grant  Stairs,  whose  bravery  and  skill 
were  winning  him  honours  in  African  exploration  when  one  of  the 


1  The  permanent  corps  and  schools  of  instruction  consist  of  "A"  and  "B" 
Troops,  Royal  Canadian  Diagoons,  at  Quebec  and  Winnipeg;  "A"  and  "B" 
Batteries,  Roval  Canadian  Artillery,  at  Kingston  and  Quebec;  Nos.  i  and  2 
Companies  of  Garrison  Aitiliery  at  Quebec;  Nos.  i,  2,  3,  and  4  Companies  Royal 
Canadian  kr'giment  of  Infantry,  at  London  (Ontario),  Toronto,  St.  John's  (Que- 
bec), aiul  I'rcdericton. 


PRESENT   CONDITIONS. 


437 


ipt.     The 
!   divided 
widowers 
childless 
'een  eigh- 
children ; 
led  upon, 
There   is 
e  Militia, 
and  con- 
ison  duty, 
the  Active 
thousand 
he  Active 
iree  years, 
;   Reserve 
nanent  or 
ilitary  dis- 
nt-general 
:h  year  is 
1  eighteen 
is  some- 


h 


Canada 

lates  have 

lem  have 

Among 

not  least 

and  skill 

)ne  of  the 

and  "B" 
■  and  "B" 
3S.  I  and  a 
)anies  Royal 
ohn's  (Que- 


%' 


deadly  fevers  of  that  treacherous  land  struck  him  down,  was  born 
in  Halifox  in  1863.  He  graduated  at  Kingston,  was  gazetted  to 
the  Royal  Engineers,  and  followed  Stanley  into  unknown  Africa, 
where  he  met  his  death  at  Chinde,  in  1892.  Captain  William 
Beverley  Robinson  was  born  in  St.  John  in  1864,  and  graduated  at 
Kingston.  He  received  a  commission  in  the  RoyaJ  army,  and  was 
employed  on  the  African  service  at  Sierra  Leone.  While  on  this 
service  he  was  sent  with  a  little  party  to  reduce  the  stockaded 
capital  of  a  hostile  tribe  in  the  interior.  The  gates  of  the  stockade 
re(juired  to  be  blown  down  with  gun-cotton,  as  the  expedition  had 
no  artillery.  The  task  of  applying  the  gun-coiton,  in  the  face  of 
the  ready  lifles  and  thronging  assegais  of  the  enemy,  when  the 
lightest  blow  would  excite  the  explosive  and  rend  the  bearer  into 
fiagnients,  was  too  appalling  for  any  of  the  rank  and  file  to  face. 
Captain  Robinson  volunteered,  marched  up  to  the  gate  amid  a 
shower  of  laissiles,  and  affixed  the  gun-cotton  as  deliberately  as 
if  he  had  been  on  parade.  Just  as  his  task  was  accomplished  he 
was  shot  down.  But  his  heroism  had  won  the  victory  (1892). 
From  the  earliest  pages  of  our  story  to  this  its  latest,  is  traced 
the  inspiring  record  of  (Canadian  fortitude  and  Canadian  daring. 
no.  Present  Conditions,  and  the  Outlook.  —  Boundless  are 
the  possibilities  of  that  future  upon  which  the  eyes  of  Canada 
are  now  fixed  with  confident  but  questioning  hope.  We  feel 
dimly  the  movement  of  great  forces,  our  veins  thrill 
with  the  impulse  of  an  eager  national  life,  and  the 
figure  of  our  destiny  looms  splendid  and  mysterious  before  us. 
Rich  almost  beyond  calculation  is  our  heritage,  material,  intel- 
lectual, sjiiritual.  The  area  of  C^anada  is  3,450,383  square  miles. 
It  constitutes  more  than  one-third  of  the  whule  British  Kniijirc, 
and  is  only  about  two  hundred  thousand  square  miles  smaller 
than  the  continent  of  Europe.  In  other  words,  if  Canada  were 
placed  upon  Europe  the  whole  of  that  continent  would  be  covered, 
with  the  exception  of  France  ;  or,  if  the  United  States,  without 
Alaska,  were  placed  on  Canada,  British  Columbia  and  half  Alberta 
would  be  left  uncovered.     Without  its  dependent  territory  Alaska, 


Our  heritage. 


438 


A   II IS  TORY  OF  CANADA. 


the  United  States  is  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles  smaller 
than  Canada.  The  one  Canadian  province  of  British  Coltnubia  is 
larger  than  France,  Italy,  Switzerland,  and  Portugal  taken  all  to- 
gether. Quebec,  and  Ontario  are  each  larger  than  the  German 
Kmpire  and  Switzerland  combined.  Nova  Scotia  is  larger  than 
(Ireece,  or  Switzerland,  or  Denmark,  or  Holland,  or  Belgium.  Yet 
Nova  Scotia  is  the  second  smallest  province  of  Canada.  Prince 
Edward  Island  is  larger  than  Montenegro.  The  inland  waterways 
of  (Canada  are  the  most  extensive  in  the  world.  In  her  lakes  and 
rivers  might  be  s\mk  the  whole  oi  threat  Britain  and  Ireland,  and 
nineteen  thousand  scpiare  miles  of  water  would  be  left  unfilled. 
Our  climate,  though  it  varies  enormously  over  an  area  so  vast,  is 
such  as  has  always  bred  the  strongest  and  most  enterprising  races 
of  mankind.  We  have  the  largest  and  richest  fisheries,  coal  areas, 
and  timber  regions  of  the  world.  Our  wheat-lands,  grazing  lands, 
and  iron  mines,  when  developed,  will  be  among  the  most  produc- 
tive in  the  world. 

To  develo|)  these  niatcliless  resources  we  have  a  people  blended 
of  two  dominant  races,  —  a  people  tracing  its  origins  to  freedom, 
religion,  and  loyalty,  —  a  people  which  has  kept  itself  clean  from 
the  taint  of  criminal  and  pauper  immigration.  To 
incite  us  to  greatness  we  have  all  the  glory  of  France 
and  Britain,  whose  heirs  we  are,  whose  example  is  always  before 
us,  the  seeds  of  whose  virtues  are  sown  in  our  blood.  Thus 
peculiarly  favoured  by  the  God  of  Nations,  we  stand  with  our 
feet  on  the  threshold  of  the  future.  In  the  wide  prospect  which 
opens  before  our  eyes  there  is  more  than  one  possible  goal  re- 
vealed. To  which  of  these  our  fate  is  leading  us  is  a  question 
which  should  stir  us  with  ceaseless  solicitude.  It  is  a  question  of 
tremendous  import.  It  gives  to  life  in  Canada  a  meaning,  a  hope, 
an  impulse,  a  sense  of  mighty  possibilities.  We  feel  that  these 
are  great  and  significant  days.  We  seem  to  ourselves  the  chil- 
dren of  Destiny. 

Our  present  colonial  position  can  hardly  be  a  permanent  one. 
Favourable  as  it  is  to  our  growth,  it  is  liOt  the  best  thing  for  our 


Our  people. 


CANADA'S   FUTURE. 


439 


manhood  that  we  should  too  long  continue  to  accept  the  pro- 
tection of  the  motherland  without  bearing  our  part  in  the  respon- 
sibilities of  empire.     Colonies  are  children  of  the  pa-  ^ 

'        Onr  present 
rent  nation.    When  a  child  becomes  a  man,  he  by-and-   colonial 

^  status, 

by  ceases  to  serve  in  his  father's  house.     He  is  either 

taken  into  full  partnership,  or  he  goes  forth  to  face  life  indepen- 
dently and  work  out  his  destiny  with  his  own  hands.  The  colonial 
standing  is  a  subordinate  one,  disguise  it  as  we  may.  To  accept 
it  as  permanent  would  stamp  us  cowards,  and  give  the  lie  to  our 
whole  heroic  past.  But  it  may  well  last  a  generation  yet,  en- 
abling us  to  pursue  our  course  of  peaceful  expansion ;  on  the 
other  hand,  it  may  scarce  outlive  this  century,  which  draws  to  a 
close  amid  many  portents  of  change. 

The  future  presents  to  us  three  possible  alternatives,  —  absorp- 
tion by  the  United  States,  Independence,  or  a  federal  union  with 

the  rest  of  the  British  Empire.     The  first  of  these 

The  possibili- 

is  the  fate  which,  as  we  know,  has  long  been  planned  ties  of  our 

»  to  I  future. 

for  us  by  our  kinsfolk  of  the  great  republic.  The 
Monroe  doctrine,  already  referred  to,  seems  to  anticipate  it ;  for 
in  the  eyes  of  some  American  statesmen  and  historians  it  is  the 
manifest  destiny  of  the  United  States  to  occupy  the  North  Ameri- 
can continent.  But  to  Canadians  "  manifest  destiny  "  wears  a 
very  different  face.  It  is  through  no  unfriendliness  toward  a  great 
kindred  people  that  we  reject  unconditionally  the  idea  of  absorp- 
tion. We  point  with  pride  to  the  magnificent  achievements  of 
that  nation,  allied  to  us  in  language  and  in  blood.  Their  self- 
reliant  energy,  their  intellectual  force,  their  ardent  patriotism,  we 
hold  up  as  an  example  to  ourselves.  But  our  growth  has  been  on 
different  lines  from  theirs,  our  aspirations  and  political  ideas  are 
not  theirs,  our  very  existence  as  a  people  has  its  root  in  a  sharp 
divergence  from  their  principles.  As  the  sentiment  of  Canadian 
nationalism  deepens  year  by  year,  we  realize  that  to  sink  our  life 
in  another's,  to  have  our  country  torn  apart  and  swallowed  up  as 
so  many  additional  states  of  the  American  Union,  would  be  a 
burning  ignominy.     It  would  make  vain  all  the  sacrifices  of  our 


440 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\ 


fathers,  all  the  blood  they  shed  in  their  country's  cause.  We 
sliould  be  no  longer  worthy  of  the  great  nation  into  whose  bosom 
we  should  carry  our  sordid  purposes  and  craven  hearts.  The 
name  of  Canada  would  cease  to  shine  across  the  continent ;  and 
in  vanishing  it  would  leave  but  a  humiliating  memory.  It  is  safe 
to  conclude  that  absorption  by  the  United  State  ,  commonly 
known  as  Annexation,  is  not  likely  to  l>e  the  fate  of  Canada. 

But  the  other  alternatives,  Independence  and  Federation  with 
the  Empire,  come  within  the  range  of  the  probable.  Either  would 
seem  to  be  a  goal  toward  which  patriotism  might  consistently 
strive.  To  many  ardent  Canadians,  Independence  seems  the  more 
attractive  ideal.  It  is  a  manly  ideal,  easy  to  grasp,  and  thrilling 
to  the  young  imagination.  At  the  same  time  it  seems  to  stand 
fairly  in  the  line  of  our  growth.  It  could  perhaps  be  accomplished 
without  any  violent  break  in  the  course  of  our  history.  But  there 
can  be  little  doubt  that  if  undertaken  now  or  soon  it  would  but 
open  a  door  to  annexation.  It  would  put  us  to  such  an  expense 
for  diplomatic,  consular,  military,  and  above  all  naval  service,  in 
the  protection  of  our  vast  coumiercial  navy,  that  we  might  soon 
find  ourselves  borne  to  the  ground  with  debt.  No  longer  backed 
by  Great  Britain,  we  should  be  at  the  mercy  of  every  demand  of 
the  United  States,  v/ho  might  help  herself  to  our  fisheries,  or, 
forcing  us  to  defend  them  in  a  ruinous  war,  dismember  us  when 
exhausted,  even  as  she  treated  Mexico.  If  Independence  is  to 
be  our  goal,  we  should  be  rash  indeed  to  seek  it  now,  while  our 
population  is  so  small  and  our  wide  frontier  so  vulnerable. 

Meanwhile  there  is  rising  into  view  a  grander  idea,  which 
appeals  to  a  higher  and  broader  patriotism.  The  project  of  Im- 
perial Federation  fits  at  least  as  logically  upon  our  career  as  Inde- 
pendence. Indeed,  it  gives  a  fuller  meaning  to  our  whole  past, 
—  to  our  birth  from  the  disruption  of  1776,  —  to  our  almost 
miraculous  preservation  from  seizure  by  the  United  States  while 
we  were  yet  but  a  handful  of  scattered  settlements,  —  to  our 
struggle  for  unity,  — to  our  daring  and  splendid  expansion,  —  and 
to  the  cost  at  which  we  have  secured  it.     Independence,  more- 


IMPERIAL   FEDEKA  TION. 


44' 


over,  is  selfish  in  its  alms,  while  Imperial  Federation  considers  not 
our  own  interests  only,  but  those  of  the  mother  country,  and  the 
growing  debt  of  loyalty  which  we  owe  her.  It  is  possible  to  con- 
ceive of  a  form  of  Im[)erial  Federation  which  wouM  so  guard  the 
autonomy  of  each  federating  nation  and  so  strictly  limit  the  powers 
of  the  central  government  as  to  satisfy  even  those  who  dcMre 
absolute  independence.  The  practical  independence  enjoyed  under 
such  a  federation  would  be  secured  Ijy  the  force  of  the  whole 
empire.  It  is  urged  that  the  difficulties  in  the  way  are  too  great 
to  be  overcome,  —  but  it  is  the  fashion  of  our  race  to  overcome 
difficulties.  It  is  urged  that  the  distances  between  Great  Britain, 
Canada,  Australasia,  South  Africa,  are  too  vast  to  permit  of  union, 
—  but  the  swift  steamship,  the  fast  exi)ress,  the  cable,  and  the 
telegraph  have  so  reduced  the  effect  of  these  distances  thai  the 
most  widely  separated  portions  of  the  empire  are  now  less  far 
apart  than  were  Ottawa  and  Vancouver  Island  when  British 
Columbia  joined  the  Dominion.  Imperial  Federation  would  admit 
us  to  full  political  manhood  without  the  dishonour  of  annexation, 
or  the  risk  and  the  ingratitude  of  Independence.  It  would  build 
up  such  a  power  as  would  secure  the  peace  of  the  world.  It 
would  gain  for  our  race  a  glory  beside  which  the  most  dazzling 
pages  of  earth's  history  would  grow  pale.  It  is  a  less  daring 
dream  than  that  which  Canada  brought  to  pass  when  she  united 
the  shores  of  three  oceans  under  the  sway  of  one  poor  and  scat- 
tered colony.  It  is  Canada  who  has  taught  feeble  provinces 
how  to  federate,  how  to  form  a  mighty  commonwealth  while  re- 
maining within  the  empire.  It  may  be  her  beneficent  mission, 
also,  to  lead  the  way  toward  the  realization  of  the  vaster  and  more 
glorious  dream. 


.f    !    • 


n 


i'  . « 


APPHNDIX   A. 


BRITISH    NORTH    AMERICA  ACT 

An  Act  for  (he  Union  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 
and  tne  C;ovcrnmfnt  thereof,  and  for  I'nrposes  connected  therewith! 

[2gtA  Afarch,  1867.] 

Whereas  the  Provinces  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 
have  expressed  their  Desire  to  be  federally  united  into  One  Dominion 
under  the  Crown  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
with  a  Constitution  similar  in  Principle  to  that  of  the  United  Kin-dom  :' 

And  whereas  such  a  Union  would  conduce  to  the  VVelfaie'of  the 
Provinces  and  promote  the  Interests  of  the  British  Empire: 

And  whereas  on  the  Establishment  of  the  Union  by  Authority  of 
Parliament  it  is  expedient,  not  only  that  the  Constitution  of  the  Legis- 
lative Authority  in  the  Dominion  bo  provided  for,  but  also  that  the 
Nature  of  the  Executive  (Government  therein  be  declared  : 

And  whereas  it  is  expedient  that  Provision  be  made  for  the  eventual 
Admission  into  the  tniion  of  other  Parts  of  British  North  America: 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  and  declared  by  the  Queen's  most  Excellent 
Majesty,  by  and  with  the  Advice  and  Consent  of  tho  Lords  Spiritual 
and  Temporal,  and  Commons,  in  this  present  Parliament  assembled, 
and  by  the  Authority  of  the  same,  as  follows  : 


I.   Prkliminary. 

1.  This  Act  may  be  cited  as  The  British  North  America  Act,  1S67. 

2.  The  Provisions  of  this  Act  referring  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen 
extend  also  to  the  Heirs  and  Successors  of  Her  Majesty,  Kings  and 
Queens  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland* 

443 


'    V 


If! 


444 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


II.  Union. 


'|i 


:(l 


3.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Queen,  by  and  with  the  Advice  of  Hei 
Majesty's  Most  Honorable  Privy  Council,  to  declare  by  Proclamation 
tli.il,  on  and  alter  a  Day  therein  appointed,  not  Ijeing  more  than  Six 
Months  after  the  passing  of  this  Act,  the  Provinces  of  Canada,  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  shall  form  and  l)e  One  Dominion  under  the 
Name  of  Canada ;  and  on  and  after  that  Day  those  three  Provinces 
shall  form  and  be  One  Dominion  under  that  Name  accordingly. 

4.  Tlie  subsi:(]uc»it  Provisions  of  this  Act  shall,  unless  it  is  other- 
wise exjjressed  or  implied,  commence  and  have  efiect  on  and  after  the 
Union,  that  is  to  say,  on  and  after  the  Day  appointed  for  the  Union, 
takmg  eft'ect  in  the  Queen's  l^roclamation  ;  and  in  the  same  Provisions, 
unless  it  is  otherwise  e.\])rcs>e(l  or  implied,  the  Name  Canada  shall  be 
taken  to  mean  Canada  as  c  finslituted  under  this  Act. 

5.  Canada  shall  be  divided  into  F^our  Provinces,  named  Ontario, 
Quebec.  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brnnswick. 

6.  The  Parts  of  the  Province  of  Canada  (as  it  exists  at  the  passing 
of  this  Ac!),  which  formerly  constituted  respectively  the  Provinces 
of  Ui.>per  Canada  and  Lower  Canada,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  severed, 
and  sliall  form  Two  separate  Provinces.  The  Part  which  formerly  con- 
stituted the  Province  of  Upper  Canada  shall  constilute  the  Province 
ttf  Ontario ;  and  the  part  which  formerly  constituted  the  Province  of 
Lower  Canada  shall  constitute  the  Province  of  Queoec. 

7.  The  Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  shall  have 
the  same  Limits  as  at  the  passing  of  this  Act. 

8.  In  the  general  Census  of  the  Population  of  Canada,  which  is 
hereby  required  to  be  taken  in  the  Year  One  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  seventy-one,  and  in  every  Tenth  Year  thereafter,  the  respective 
Population  of  the  Four  Provinces  shall  be  distinguished. 


III.  Executive  Power. 


9.  The  Executive  Government  and  Authority  of  and  over  Canada 
is  hereby  declared  to  continue  and  be  vested  in  the  Queen. 

10.  The  Provisions  of  this  Act  referring  to  the  Governor  General 
extend  and  apply  to  the  Governor  General  for  the  Time  beiiig  of 
Canada,  or  other  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  or  Administrator  for  the 


ed  Ontario, 


shall  have 


APPENDIX  A. 


445 


Time  being  carrying  on  the  Government  ot  Canada  on  behalf  and  in 
the  Name  of  the  Queen,  by  whatever  Title  he  is  designated. 

11.  Tliere  shall  be  a  Coimcil  to  aid  and  advise  in  the  novernment 
of  Canada,  to  i)e  styled  the  Queen's  Privy  Council  for  Canada;  and  the 
Persons  who  are  to  be  Members  of  that  Council  sliall  be  trom  Time  l<i 
Tiuie  cho.sen  and  summoned  by  the  Ciovernor  General  and  sworn  in  as 
Privy  Councillors,  and  Members  thereof  may  be  from  Time  to  Time 
removed  by  the  Governor  Cieneral. 

12.  All  Powers,  Authorities,  and  functions  wliicli  under  any  Act  of 
the  I'arliament  of  Great  Ihitain  or  of  the  Parliament  of  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Ihitain  and  Ireland,  or  of  tiie  Legislature  of  l'|>l^'''' 
Canada,  Lower  Canada,  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  or  New  Hrunswick,  are 
at  tlie  I'nion  vested  in  or  exercisable  by  the  respective  Governors  or 
Lieutenant  Governors  of  those  Provinces,  with  the  Advice,  or  with  tlie 
Advice  and  Consent  of  the  respective  Executive  Councils  thereol',  or  in 
conjunction  with  those  Councils,  or  with  any  Nund)er  of  Memijcrs 
thereof,  or  by  those  (governors  or  Lieutenant  (Jovernors  indiviiiualiy, 
shall,  as  far  as  the  same  continue  in  existence  and  capable  of  being 
exercised  after  the  Union  in  relation  to  the  Government  of  Canada,  Ije 
vested  in  and  exercisable  by  tiie  G.overnor  General,  with  the  Advice  or 
with  the  Advice  and  Consent  of  or  in  conjunction  with  the  Queen's 
Privy  Council  for  Canada,  or  any  Members  thereof,  or  by  tlie  Governor 
General  individually,  as  the  Case  requires,  subject  nevertheless  (ex- 
cept with  respect  to  such  as  exist  under  Acts  of  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain  or  of  the  Parliament  of  tiie  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland)  to  be  abolished  or  altered  by  the  I'arliament  of 
Canada. 

13.  The  Provisions  of  this  Act  referring  to  the  Governor  General  in 
Council  shall  be  construed  as  referring  to  the  Governor  Genei  li  acting 
by  and  with  the  .'\dvice  of  the  Queen's  Privy  Council  for  Canada. 

14.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Queen,  if  Her  Majesty  thinl^s  fit,  to 
authorize  the  Governor  General  from  Time  to  Time  to  appoint  any 
Person  or  any  Persons  jointly  or  severally  to  be  his  Deputy  or  Dejm- 
ties  within  any  Part  01  Parts  of  Canada,  and  in  that  Capacity  to  exer- 
cise during  the  Pleasure  of  the  Ciovernor  Oneral  such  of  the  I'owers, 
Authorities,  and  Functions  of  the  Governor  General  as  the  Governor 
General  deems  it  necessary  or  expedient  to  assign  to  him  or  them, 
subject  to  any  Limitations  or  Directions  expressed  or  given  by  the 
Queen ;  but  the  Appointment  of  such  a  Deputy  or  Deputies  shall  not 


446 


/I    HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


ii 


iifTert  the  Exercise  hy  the  Governor  General  himself  of  any  Power, 
Authority,  or  Function. 

15.  The  C'oininander-in-Chief  of  the  Land  and  Naval  Militia,  and 
of  all  Naval  and  Military  Fortes  of  and  in  Canada,  is  hereby  declared 
to  continue  and  be  vested  in  the  Queen. 

16.  Until  the  Queen  otherwise  directs,  the  Seat  of  Government  of 
Canada  shall  be  Ottawa. 

IV.   Le(}Islative  Powrr. 

17.  There  shall  ho  One  ParlianitMit  for  C.mada,  Consisting  of  the 
Queen,  an  Upper  House  styled  the  Senate,  and  the  Mouse  of  Commons. 

18.  Repealed  —  >iew  Section  substituted-     See  Appendix  H. 

19.  Related  only  to  r.allini;  of  hint  Parliatnent.     Acted  upon. 

ao.  There  sliall  he  a  Session  of  the  Parliament  of  (.anada  once  at 
least  ill  every  Year,  so  that  Twelve  Montlis  shall  not  intervene  between 
the  last  Sittinjj  of  the  Parliament  in  one  Session  anil  its  tirst  Sitting  in 
the  next  Session. 

The  Senate. 

ai.  The  Senate  shall,  subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act,  consist 
of  Seventy-two  M.viners,  who  shall  be  st\led  SenatC'ts. 

aa.  In  relation  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Senate,  Canada  shall  be 
deemed  to  consisi  ui  Three  Divisions  — 

1 .  Ontario ; 

2.  Quubec: 

3.  The  Maritime  Provinces.  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick ; 
which  Three  Divisions  shall  (subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act)  be 
equally  represented  in  the  Senate  as  follows :  Ontario  by  Twenty-four 
Senators;  Quebec  by  Twenty-four  Senators,  and  the  Maritime  Prov- 
inces by  Twenty-four  Senators,  twelve  thereof  representing  Nova 
Scotiii,  and  twelve  thereof  representing  New  Brunswick. 

In  the  Case  of  Quebec  each  of  the  Twenty-four  Senators  represent- 
ing that  Province  shall  be  appointed  for  One  of  the  Twenty-four 
Electoral  Divisions  of  Lower  Canada  specified  in  Schedule  A.  t<» 
Chapter  One  of  the  Consolidated  Statutes  of  Canada. 

I  he  Senate  now  numbers  81  —  Ontario,  24;  (Jncbec,  24;  A^ova 
Scotia.  10;  Netu  Brunswick,  10;  Manitoba,  4;  British  Columbia,  3: 
Prince  Edward  Island,  4;  North  West  Territories,  2.  See  Section 
147  of  this  Act.  As  Prince  Edward  Island  is  now  admitted  into  the 
Dominion,  the  representatives  front  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 


ArrES'DIX  A. 


447 


are  respectively  ten  in  nu»ii<fr.     .\f<itiit^b(i  has  four  Senators,  its  pppu- 
latioii  benii^  (Wer  75,Ch>:.  (152.506  /;/  1 8'; I  ).     A'.  S.  C.  c,  12. 

23.  The  Qualification  oi  a  Senator  shall  lie  as  follows :  — 

(1)  Uf  shall  be  of  the  full  Age  ot    Thirty  Years: 

(2)  He  shall  be  either  a    Natural  horn   Suhject   of  the  Queen,  or  a 

Subject  of  the  Queen  naturali/ed  by  an  Act  of  the  Parliament 
of  Great  Britain,  or  of  thf  Parliament  of  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Pritain  and  Ireland,  or  of  the  Lryislature  of  One  of 
the  Provinces  of  I'ppor  Canada,  Lowe/  Canada,  Canada,  N\)va 
Scotia,  or  New  Hrunswick.  before  the  Union,  or  of  the  Parlia- 
ment of  (Janada  after  the  Union  ; 

(3)  He  shall   be-  Ifj^MJly   or  cquitai,        oi/ed  as  of  Freehold   for   his 

own  Use  and  Penctit  of  I.a.uls  .  Tenements  held  in  free  and 
conmioci  Socage,  or  seized  or  pi  ssesscd  for  his  own  Use  and 
Benefit  of  Lands  or  Tei  ments  held  i'l  Franc  aleu  or  in 
Roturc,  within  the  Pio.inLc  for  nhif'i  he  is  appointeil.  of  the 
Value  of  Four  thousand  Doliii  <.  over  and  above  ail  Rents, 
Dues,  Debt.i,  Charges,  Mor'.^agi  s,  and  Intumijrances  due  or 
payablt'  out  of  or  charged  on  or  affecting  the  same : 

(4)  His  Real  and    Personal  Property  shall    be    toirether  worth   Four 

thousand  Dollars  over  and  above  his  Debts  and  Li.iLilities : 

(5)  He  shall  be  resident  in  the  Province  for  which  lie  is  apponited  : 

(6)  In  the  Case  of  Quebec  he  shall  have  his  Real  Property  Quali- 

fication in  the  Electoral  Division  tor  which  he  is  appointed,  or 
shall  be  resident  in  that  Division. 

24.  The  Governor  General  shall  from  Time  to  Time,  in  the  Queen's 
Name,  by  Instrument  under  the  Great  Seal  of  Canada,  summon  quali- 
fied Persons  to  the  Senate ;  and,  subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act, 
every  Person  so  summoned  shall  become  and  be  a  Member  of  the 
Senate  and  a  Senator. 

25.  Such  Persons  shall  be  first  summoned  to  the  .Senate  as  the 
Queen  by  Warrant  under  Her  ^Lljesty's  Royal  Sign  Manual  thinks  fit 
to  approve,  and  their  Names  shall  be  inserted  in  the  Queen's  Proclama- 
tion of  Union. 

a6.  If  at  any  Time  on  the  Recommendation  of  the  Governor  General 
the  Queen  thinks  fit  to  direct  that  Three  or  Six  Members  be  added  to 
the  Senate,  the  Governor  General  may  by  Summons  to  Three  or  Six 
qualified  Persons  (as  the  Case  may  be),  representing  equally  the  Three 
Divisions  of  Canada,  add  to  the  Senate  accordingly. 


448 


A   HISTGKY  OF  CANADA. 


\\ 


27.  In  case  of  such  Addition  being  at  any  Time  made,  the  Governor 
General  shall  not  summon  any  Person  to  the  Senate,  except  on  a  further 
like  Direction  by  tlie  Oceen  on  the  like  Kecommendation,  until  each 
of  the  Three  Divisions  of  Canada  is  represented  by  Twenty-four  Sena- 
tors and  no  more.  '    4"»'V     .  i 

28.  The  Number  of  Senators  shall  not  at  any  Time  exceed  Seventy- 
eight.     See  note  to  Section  22  adore. 

29.  A  Senator  shall,  subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act,  hold  his 
Place  in  the  Senate  for  Life. 

30.  A  Senator  may  by  writing  under  his  Hand  addressed  to  the 
Governor  General  tesign  His  Place  in  the  Senate,  and  thereupon  the 
same  shall  be  vacant. 

31.  The  Place  of  a  Senator  shall  become  vacant  in  any  of  the  fol- 
lowing Cases ;  — 

(i)  If  for  Two  consecutive  Sessions  of  the  Parliament  he  fails  to  give 
his  Attendance  in  the  Senate : 

(2)  If  he  takes  an  Oath  or  makes  a  Declaration  or  Acknowledgment 

of  Allegiance,  Obedience  or  Adherence  to  a  f^oreign  Power, 
or  does  an  Act  whereby  he  becomes  a  Subject  or  Citizen,  or 
entitled  to  the  Rights  or  Privileges  of  a  Subject  or  Citizen, 
of  a  Foreign  Power : 

(3)  If  he  is  adjudged  Bankrupt  or  Insolvent,  or  applies  for  the  Benefit 

of  any  Law  relating  to  Insolvent  Debtors,  or  becomes  a  public 
Defaulter : 

(4)  If  he  is  attainted  of  Treason  or  convicted  of  Felony  or  of  any 

infamous  Crime : 

(5)  If  he  ceases  to  be  qualified  in  respect  of  Property  or  of  Residence  ; 

provided  that  a  Senator  shall  not  be  deemed  to  have  ceased 
to  be  qualified  in  respect  of  Residence  by  reason  only  of  his 
residing  at  the  Seat  of  the  Government  of  Canada  while  hold- 
ing an  Office  under  that  Government  requiring  his  Presence 
there. 

32.  When  a  Vacancy  happens  in  the  Senate  by  Re.signation,  Death, 
or  otherwise,  the  Governor  General  shall  by  Summons  to  a  tit  and 
qualified  Person  fill  the  Vacancy. 

33.  If  any  Question  arises  respecting  the  Qualification  of  a  Senator 
or  a  Vacancy  in  the  Senate,  the  same  shall  be  heard  and  determined  by 
the  Senate. 

34.  The  Governor  General  may  from  Time  to  Time,  by  Instrument 


APPENDIX  A. 


449 


the  Governor 
t  on  a  turther 
jn,  until  each 
ity-four  Sena- 

■    .    .  i 

ceed  Seventy- 

i  Act,  hold  his 

iressed  to  the 
thereupon  the 

any  of  the  fol- 

he  fails  to  give 

cknowledgment 
Foreign  Power, 
I  or  Citizen,  or 
iject  or  Citizen, 

;  for  the  Benefit 
ecomes  a  public 

elony  or  of  any 

^r  of  Residence ; 
to  have  ceased 
on  only  of  his 
ula  while  hokl- 

\o   his  Presence 

iignation,  Death, 
ons  to  a  tit  and 

tion  of  a  Senator 
id  determined  by 

lie,  by  Instrument 


under  the  Great  Seal  of  Canada,  appoint  a  Senator  to  be  Speaker  of 
the  Senate,  and  may  remove  him  and  appoint  another  in  his  Stead. 

35.  Until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  provides,  the  Presence 
of  at  least  Fifteen  Senators,  including  the  Speaker,  shall  be  necessary 
to  constitute  a  Meeting  of  the  Senate  for  the  Exercise  of  its  Powers. 

36.  Questions  arising  in  the  Senate  shall  be  decided  by  a  Majority 
of  Voices,  and  the  Speaker  shall  in  all  Cases  have  a  Vote,  and  wiicn 
the  Voices  are  equal  the  Decision  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  the  Negative. 

The  Hoiis,'  of  Conunons. 

37.  Provided  for  181  Members  of  the  House  of  Commons',  now 
(50-51  Vict.  [Z^'W.],  c.  4)  the  House  consists  of  215  Mevibers  as 
folL'>ws :  —  Ontario,  92  ;  Quebec,  65  ;  Nova  Scotia,  2 1  ;  New  Bruns- 
wick, 16;  J^rince  Edward  Island,  6;  British  Columbia,  6;  Manitoba, 
5;  North-West  Territories,  4.  After  the  next  General  Election,  the 
number  will  be  2 13  •.  —  Ontario,  92 ;  <2uebec,  65  ;  Nova  Scotia,  20 ;  New 
Brunswick,  14;  Manitoba,  7;  British  Columbia,  6;  Prince  PUtward 
Island,  5;  North-lVest  Territories,  4.     55-56  Vict.  [Dom.^c.  117. 

38.  The  Governor  General  shall  from  Time  to  Time,  in  the  Queen's 
Name,  Ijy  Instrument  under  the  Great  Seal  of  Canada,  summon  and 
call  together  the  House  of  Commons. 

39.  A  Senator  shall  not  be  capable  of  being  elected  or  of  sitting  or 
voting  as  a  Member  of  the  House  of  Commons. 

40.  Until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  provides,  Ontarii.^ 
Quebec,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick  sliali,  for  the  Purposes  of 
the  Election  of  Members  to  serve  in  the  House  of  Commons,  be  divided 
into  Electoral  Districts  as  follows  :  — 

The  Districts  as  arranged  by  the  B.  N.  A.  Act  have  since  been  altered. 
See  R.  S.  C,  c.  6,  amended  by  50-5 1  Vict.  {Dom.),  c.  4.  pMch  District 
returns  one  Member. 

41 .  Provided  that  until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  enacted, 
the  Provincial  laws  relating  to  Elections  and  electoral  matters  generally 
should  apply  to  Dominion  Elections.  Now,  by  R.  S.  C,  chapters  5, 
8  and  9,  and  subsequent  ov?cnding  Acts,  the  Dominion  has  provided 
legislation  for  all  these  matters.     This  Section  is,  therefore,  superseded. 

42.  Related  solely  to  first  election  for  Dominion  Parliament.    Effete. 

43.  Related  to  filling  of  vacancies  in  representation  before  meeting 
of  Parliament  —  no7v  superseded. 

44.  The  House  of  Commons  on  its  first  assembling  after  a  General 

2  a 


450 


.4   ins  TORY  OF  CANADA. 


V  ;,,;■ 


f  ■ 


Election  shall  proceed  with  all  practical  speed  to  elect  one  of  its  Members 
to  be  Speaker. 

45.  In  case  of  a  Vacancy  happening  in  the  Office  of  Speaker  by 
Death,  Resignation,  or  otherwise,  the  House  of  Commons  shall  with 
all  practicable  speed  proceed  to  elect  another  of  its  Members  to  be 
Speaker. 

46.  The  Sjieaker  shall  presid'j  at  all  Meetings  of  the  House  of 
Commons. 

47.  Until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  provides,  in  case  of  the 
Absence  for  any  Reason  of  the  Speaker  from  the  Chair  of  the  House  of 
Commons  for  a  Period  of  Forty-Eight  consecutive  Hours,  the  House 
may  elect  another  of  its  Members  to  act  as  Speaker,  and  the  Member 
so  elected  shall  during  the  Continuance  of  such  absence  of  the  Speaker 
have  and  e.xecute  all  the  Powers,  Privileges  and  Duties  of  Speaker. 

48.  The  Presence  of  at  least  Twenty  members  of  the  House  of 
Commons  shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a  m*  eting  of  the  House  for 
the  Exercise  of  its  Powers;  and  for  Ihat  purpose  the  Speaker  shall  be 
reckoned  as  a  Member. 

49.  Questions  arising  in  the  House  of  Commons  shall  be  decided 
by  a  Majority  of  Voices  other  than  that  of  the  Speaker,  and  when  the 
Voices  are  equal,  but  not  otherwise,  the  Speaker  shall  have  a  V^ote. 

50.  Every  House  of  Commons  shall  continue  for  five  years  from  the 
Day  of  the  Return  of  the  Writs  for  choosing  the  House  (subject  to  be 
sooner  dissolved  by  the  Governor  General),  and  no  longer. 

51.  On  the  Completion  of  the  Census  in  the  Year  One  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-one,  and  of  each  subsequent  decennial  Census, 
the  Representation  of  the  four  Provinces  shall  be  readjusted  by  such 
Authority,  in  such  Manner,  and  from  such  Time,  as  the  Parliament  of 
Canada  from  Time  to  Time  provides,  subject  and  according  to  the 
following  Rules :  — 

(i )  Quebec  shall  have  the  fixed  number  of  Sixty-five  Members. 

(2)  There  shall  be  assigned  to  each  of  the  other  Provinces  such  a 

number  of  Members  as  will  bear  the  same  Proportion  to  the 
Number  of  its  Population  (ascertained  at  such  Census)  as 
the  Number  Sixty-five  bears  to  the  Number  of  the  Population 
of  Quebec  (so  ascertained): 

(3)  In  the  Computation  of  the  Number  of  Members  for  a  Province  a 

fractional  Part  not  exceeding  One  Half  of  the  whole  Number 
requisite  for  entitling  the  Province  to  a  Member  shall  be  dis- 


Members 

peaker  by 
shall  with 
jers  to  be 

House  of 

case  of  the 
e  House  of 
the  House 
he  Member 
he  Speaker 
leaker. 
J  House  of 
e  House  for 
ker  shall  be 

be  decided 
nd  when  the 

a  Vote, 
ars  from  the 
ibject  to  be 

jusand  eight 
nial  Census, 
,ted  by  such 
'arhament  of 
-ling  to  the 

jers. 

[nces  such  a 

Irtion  to  the 

Census)   as 

Population 

Province  a 
jole  Number 
Ishall  be  dis- 


APPENDIX  A. 


451 


regarded ;  but  a  fractional  Part  exceeding  One  Half  of  that 
Number  shall  be  equivalent  to  the  whole  Number: 

(4)  On  any  such  Re-adjustment  the  Numbt-r  of  Meml)ers  for  a  Province 

shall  not  be  reduced  unless  the  Proportion  which  the  Number 
of  ih(;  Population  of  the  Province  borp  to  the  Number  of  the 
aggre'jate  Population  of  Canada  at  the  then  list  preceding 
Re-.ul)i>stment  of  the  Numbtr  of  Members  for  the  Province 
is  ascertained  at  th'-  liien  last  Census  to  be  diminished  by  One 
Twentieth  Part  or  upwards  ; 

(5)  Such  Rt-  adjustment  shall  not  take  effect  until  the*  Termination  of 

the  then  existing;  Parliament. 

52.  The  Number  of  Mtnibcrs  of  the  House  of  Commons  may  be 
from  Time  to  Time  incieastd  l)y  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  Provided 
the  proportionate  Kepresentatitjn  of  the  Provinces  prescribed  by  this 
.Act  i-  not  thereby  disturbed. 

See  Note  to  Sections  37  and  40  above.  The  re-aJjustntent  referred 
to  has  been  made  atiU  tli,'  result  /r  slated  at  foot  of  ■^j. 

Money  Votes :  Royal  Assent. 

53.  Bills  for  appropriating  any  Part  of  the  Public  Revenue,  or  for 
imposing  any  Tax  or  Impost.  .-,hall  originate  in  the  Hoiise  of  Commons. 

54.  It  shall  r.ot  be  la^vlul  for  the  House  of  Commons  to  adopt  or 
Pass  any  Vote,  Resolution,  Address  or  Bill  for  the  Appropriation  of 
any  Part  of  the  Public  Revenue,  or  of  any  Tax  or  Impost,  to  any  Pur- 
pose that  has  not  been  first  recommended  to  that  House  by  Message  of 
the  Governor  (Jtrer.d  iu  ihe  Session  in  which  such  Vote.  Resolution, 
Address  or  Bill  i?  propostrd. 

55.  Where  a  Bill  jni-ssed  by  the  Houses  of  Parliament  is  presented 
to  the  Governor  General  for  the  Queen's  Assent,  he  shall  declare, 
according  to  his  discniion,  liut  ■subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act 
and  to  Her  Majesty's  Instructions,  either  that  he  assent.';  thereto  in  the 
Queen's  Name,  or  that  lie  withholds  the  Queen's  Assent,  or  that  he 
reserves  the  Bill  fo  •  tlio  .Signification  of  the  Queen's  Pleasure. 

56.  Where  the  (r.ivernor  General  assent.s  tu  a  Bill  in  the  Queen's 
Name,  he  shall,  by  the  first  convenient  Opportunity,  send  an  authf  ntic 
Copy  of  the  Act  to  one  of  Her  Majesty'.s  Principal  Secretaries  of  State, 
and  if  the  Queen  in  Council  within  T\mi  Years  after  Receipt  thereof  by 
the  Secretary  of  State  thinks  fit  to  disallow  the  Act,  such  di.sallowance 
(with  a  CertifiiuU'  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  Day  on  which  the 


(    A 


452 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


Act  was  received  by  him)  being  signified  by  the  Governor  General, 
by  Speech  or  Message  to  each  of  the  Houses  of  the  Parliament  or  hy 
Proclamation,  shall  annul  the  Act  from  and  after  the  Day  of  such 
Signification. 

57.  A  IJill  reserved  for  the  Signification  of  the  Queen's  Pleasure 
shall  not  have  any  Force  unless  and  until  within  Two  Years  from  the 
Day  on  which  it  was  presented  to  the  Governor  ( leneral  fur  the  Ouei;n"s 
Assent,  the  Governor  General  signifies,  by  Speech  or  Message  to  each 
of  thi"  Houses  of  the  Parliament  or  by  Proclamation,  that  it  has  received 
the  Assent  of  the  Queen  in  Council. 

An  Kntry  of  every  such  Speech,  Message,  or  Proclamation  shall  be 
made  in  \\w  journal  of  each  House,  and  a  Duplicate  thereof  duly  attested 
shall  be  delivered  to  the  proper  Officer  to  be  kept  among  the  Records 
of  Canada. 

V.   Pkovincial  Constitutions. 

Executive  Power. 

58.  l<'or  each  Province  there  shall  be  an  Officer,  styled  the  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  apjjointed  by  the  Governor  General  in  Council  by  Instru- 
ment under  the  Great  Seal  of  Canada. 

59.  A  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  hold  Office  during  tlie  Pleasure  of 
the  rruverrior  General;  but  any  Lieutenant  Governor  appointeel  after 
th'.'  Commencement  of  the  First  Session  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada 
shall  not  be  removable  within  Five  Years  from  his  Appoii\tment,  except 
for  Cause  assigned,  which  shall  be  communicated  to  him  in  Writing 
within  One  Month  after  the  Order  for  his  Removal  is  made,  and  shall 
be  communicated  by  Message  to  the  Senate  and  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons within  One  Week  thereafter  if  the  Parliament  is  then  sitting,  and 
if  not  tlien,  within  One  Week  after  the  Commencement  of  the  next 
Session  of  the  Parliament. 

60.  The  Salaries  of  the  Lieutenant  Governors  shall  be  fixed  and 
provided  by  the  Parliament  of  Canada. 

61.  Every  Lieutenant  Governor  shall,  before  as.«uming  the  Duties 
of  his  Ofiice.  make  and  subscribe  before  the  Governor  (.ieneral  or  some 
Person  authorized  by  him,  Oaths  of  Allegiance  and  Office  similar  to 
those  taken  by  the  Governor  General. 

'  62.  The  Provisions  of  this  Act  referring  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
extend  and  apply  to  the  f.ieutenant  Governor  for  the  Time  being  of 
each  Province  or  other  the  Chief  Executive  Officer  or  Administrator 


APPENDIX  A. 


453 


of  the  next 


for  the  Time  being  carrying  on  the  Government  of  the  Province,  by 
whatever  Title  he  is  designated. 

63.  The  Executive  Council  of  Ontario  and  Quebec  shall  be  composed 
of  such  Persons  as  the  Lieutenant  Governor  from  Time  tc«  Time  thinks 
fit,  and  in  the  first  instance  cf  the  following  Officers,  namely,  —  tiie 
Attorney  General,  the  Secretary  and  Kegistrar  of  the  Province,  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Province,  the  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands,  and 
the  Commissione?  of  AgricuUuie  :ind  PuLHc  Works,  within  Quebec,  the 
Speaker  of  the  Legislative  Count  ii  and  the  .Suhcitor  General. 

As  to  Ontun'o,  see  A\  S.  O.  1887,  f-  I3- 

64.  The  Constitution  of  the  Executive  Authority  in  each  of  the 
Provinces  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Xiw  Brunswick  siiall.  suLject  to  the  Pro- 
visions of  this  Act.  continue  as  it  exists  at  the  L'nion,  until  altered  under 
the  Authorhy  of  this  Act. 

65.  All  Powers,  Authorities  and  functions  which  under  any  Act  of 
the  Parliament  of  (ireat  P>ritain.  or  of  the  Parliament  of  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  ireiand.  or  of  the  Legislature  of  Upj^er 
Canada,  Lower  Canada,  or  Canada,  were  or  art:  before,  or  at  the  L^nion 
vested  in  or  exercisable  by  the  reS|Vu:tive  Governors  or  Lieutenant 
Governors  of  those  Provinces,  with  the  Advice,  or  with  the  Advice  and 
Consent,  of  the  Respective  Executive  Councils  thereof,  or  in  conjunc- 
tion with  those  Councils,  or  witli  any  Number  of  Members  thereof,  or 
by  those  Governors  or  Lieutenant  Governors  individually,  shall,  as  far 
as  the  same  are  capable  of  being  exercised  after  the  Union  in  relation 
to  the  Government  of  Ontario  and  Quebec  respectively,  be  vested  in, 
and  shall  or  may  be  exercised  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Ontario 
and  Quebec  respectively,  with  the  Advice  or  with  tlie  Ad\'ice  and 
Consent  of  or  in  conjunction  with  the  respectiAc  Executive  Councils, 
or  any  Members  thereof,  or  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor  i.idividually,  as 
the  Case  requires,  subject  nevertheless  (except  with  respect  to  such  as 
exist  under  Acts  of  the  Parliament  of  (rreat  Tvitain,  or  of  the  Parlia- 
ment of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland)  to  be 
abolished  or  altered  by  the  respective  Legislatures  of  Ontario  and 
Quebec. 

66.  The  Provisions  of  this  Act  referring  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
in  Council  shall  be  construed  as  referring  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
of  the  Province  acting  by  and  with  the  Advice  of  the  Executive  Council 
thereof. 

67.  The  Governor  General  in  Cojncil   may  from   Time   to   Time 


.1  ' 


454 


A   HISTORY   OF  CANADA. 


appoint  an   Administrator  to   execute  the   Office    and    Functions  of 
Lieutenant  Governor  during  his  Ai)sence,  Illness,  or  other  Inability. 

68.  Unless  and  until  the  Evecutive  Cioverninent  of  any  Province 
otherwise  directs  with  respect  to  that  Province,  the  Seats  of  Government 
<if  the  I'rovinces  shall  be  as  follows,  namely,  —  of  Ontario,  the  City  of 
Toronto;  of  (2uebec,  the  City  of  Quebec;  of  Nova  Scotia,  the  City  of 
Halifax;  and  of  New  Brunswick,  the  City  of  Fredericton. 


i 


U  I S 


I 


If 


Legislative  Power. 
I .    Ontario. 

69.  There  shall  be  a  Legislature  for  Ontario  consisting  of  the  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  and  of  One  House,  styled  the  Legislative  Assembly  01 
Ontario. 

70.  The  Legislative  Assembly  of  Ontario  shall  be  composed  of 
Eighty-two  Members,  to  be  elected  to  represent  the  Eighty-two  Elec- 
toral Districts  set  forth  in  the  First  Schedule  to  this  Act. 

Jn  Ontario  there  are  now  eighty-nnu  Electoral  Districts,  rcti/rnitti^ 
tiinety-one  members.  R.  S.  O.  1887,  <:.  -j,  ameuiied  by  52  Vict.  (0>/t.), 
c.  2,  s.  2.  There  may  be  a  re-adjiisiment  in  Ontario  during  the  next 
Session  based  on  the  last  Census. 

,.  z.    Quebec. 

71.  There  shall  be  a  Legislature  for  Quebec  consisting  of  the  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  and  of  Two  Houses,  styled  the  Legislative  Council  of 
Quebec  anti  the  Legisl  itive  Assembly  of  Quebec. 

72.  The  Legislative  Council  of  Quebec  shall  be  composed  of  Twenty- 
Four  iVFembers,  to  be  appointed  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor  in  the 
Qiif:eu's  Name,  by  Instrument  under  the  Great  Seal  of  Quebec,  one 
being  appointed  to  represent  each  of  the  Twenty-Four  Electoral  Divi- 
sions of  Lower  Canada  in  this  Act  referred  to,  and  each  holding  Office 
tor  the-  Term  of  his  Life,  unless  the  Legislature  of  Quebec  otherwise 
provides  under  the  Provisions  of  this  Act. 

73.  The  Qualifications  of  the  Legislative  Councillors  of  Quebec  shall 
be  the  same  as  those  of  the  Senators  for  Quebec. 

74.  The  Place  of  a  Legislative  Councillor  of  Quebec  shall  become 
vacant  in  the  Cases,  mutatis  mutandis,  in  which  the  place  of  Senator 
becomes  vacant. 

75.  When  a  V^acancy  happens  in  the  Legislative  Council  of  Quebec 


inctions   of 

lability. 

y  Province 

iovernment 
the  City  of 
the  City  of 


)f  the  Lifcu- 
^ssembly  ot 

oin  posed  of 
ty-two  Elec- 

s,  reti/ruin^ 
Vict.  (Out.), 
iug  the  next 


of  the  Lieu- 
e  Council  of 

of  Twenty- 
iior  in   the 
f^uebec,  one 
toral  Divi- 
ding Office 
c  otherwise 

Quebec  shall 

lall  become 
of  Senator 

il  of  Quebec 


APPENDIX  A. 


455 


by  Resignation,  Death,  or  otherwise,  the  Lieutenant  Governor  in  the 
Queen's  Name,  by  Instrument  under  the  Groat  Seal  of  Quebec,  shall 
appoint  a  fit  and  qualified  Person  to  fill  the  Vacancy. 

76.  If  any  Question  arises  respecting  the  Qualifi(  ation  of  a  Legisla- 
tive Councillor  of  Queiiec,  or  a  Vacancy  in  the  Legislative  Council  of  Que- 
bec, the  same  shall  be  heard  and  determined  !;y  the  Legislative  Council. 

77.  The  Lieutenant  Gt)Vi;rnor  may  from  Time  to  Time,  by  Instrument 
under  the  Great  Seal  of  Qaeljcc,  appoint  a  Member  of  the  Legislative 
Council  of  Quebec  to  be  Speaker  tliereof,  and  may  remove  him  and 
appoint  another  in  his  Stead. 

78.  Until  the  Legislature  of  Quebec  otherwise  provides,  the  Presence 
of  at  least  Ten  Members  of  I'.ic  Legislative  Council,  including  the  Speaker, 
shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a  Meeting  for  the  Exercise  of  its  Powers 

79.  Questions  arising  in  tlie  Legislative  Council  of  Quebec  shall  be 
decided  by  a  Majority  of  Voices,  and  the  Speaker  shall  in  all  cases  have 
a  Vote,  and  when  the  Voices  are  equal  tlie  Decision  shall  l)c  (Jeemed  to 
be  in  the  negative. 

80.  The  Legislative  Assembly  of  Quebec  shall  be  cimposed  of  Sixty- 
five  Members  to  be  Elected  to  represent  the  Sixty-five  Electoral  Divi- 
sions or  Districts  of  Lower  Canada  in  this  Act  referred  to,  subject  to 
Alteration  thereof  by  the  Legislature  of  Quebec :  Provided  that  it  shall 
not  be  lawful  to  present  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Queliec  for 
Assent  any  Bill  for  Altering  tiie  Limits  of  any  of  tlie  Electoral  l,»ivisions 
or  Districts  mentioned  in  the  Second  Schedule  \u  this  Act,  imicss  the 
Second  and  Third  Readings  of  such  Bill  have  been  passed  in  the 
Legislative  Assembly  with  the  Concurrence  of  tlie  Majoniy  of  the  Mem- 
bers representing  all  those  Electoral  Divi>ioas  or  District.s,  and  the 
Assent  shall  not  be  given  to  such  Bill  unless  an  Address  luvs  i.»een 
presented  by  the  Legisl.itive  Assembly  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
stating  that  it  has  been  so  [lassed. 

3.    Ontario  and  (luemx. 

81.  Related  to  first  nieeting  of  Legislatures  of  Ontario  and  (Jiwl'ec. 
Effete. 

82.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Ontario  and  of  Quebec  shall  from 
Time  to  Time,  in  the  Queen's  Name,  by  Instrument  under  the  Great 
Seal  of  the  Province,  summon  and  call  together  the  Legislative  As- 
sembly of  the  Province. 

83.   Until  the  Legislature  of  Ontario  or  of  Quebec  otherwise  provides, 


.4   JIISrORY  OF  CANADA. 


W 


*■ 


a  Person  accepting!;  ox  holding  in  Ontario  or  in  Quebec  any  Office,  Com- 
mission or  Kniploynient,  permanent  or  temporary,  at  t)ie  Nomination 
of  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  to  which  an  annual  Salary,  or  any  Fee, 
Allowance,  Enuilument,  or  profit  of  any  Kind  or  Amoiuit  whatever 
from  the  Province  is  attaclied,  shall  not  be  eligible  as  a  Memlx-r  of  the 
Lej^islative  A.s.-.eTnbly  of  tlie  respective  Province,  nor  shall  he  sit  or  vote 
as  such ;  but  nothing  in  this  Section  shall  make  ineligible  any  Person 
being  a  Member  of  the  Hyecutivo  Council  of  the  respective  Province, 
or  holding  any  of  the  follcnving  offices,  that  is  to  say,  the  Offices  of 
Attorney  General,  Secrctars  and  Registrar  of  the  Prov-  .ce.  Treasurer 
of  the  Province,  Commissioner  of  Ctown  Lands,  and  Commixsicmer 
of  Agriculture  and  Public  Works,  and  in  Quebec  Solicitor  General,  or 
shall  disriualif)  him  to  sit  or  vote  in  the  House  for  which  he  is  elected, 
provided  he  is  elected  whil(;  holding  such  Office. 

Aits  have  b'ni  passui  In  Ontario  to  further  secure  the  independence 
of  the  Legislature.    Ji.  S.  O.  1887,  c.  11,  sees.  6  to  14. 

84.  Related  to  Electoral  Matters  in  the  Provinces  of  Ontario  and 
Quebec.     Sitperseded  in  Ontario  hy  R.  S.  O.  1887,  chaps.  9  and  10. 

85.  Every  Let>islative  Assembly  of  Ontario  and  Every  Legislative 
Assembly  <  Quebec  shall  continue  for  Four  Years  from  the  Day  of  the 
Return  of  the  Writs  for  choosing  the  same  (subject  nevertheless  to  either 
the  Legislative  Assembly  ot"  Ontario  or  the  Legislative  Assemhly  of 
Quebec  beirig  sooner  dissolved  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the 
Province),  and  no  longer. 

86.  There  shall  be  a  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Ontario  and  of 
that  of  Quebec  once  at  least  in  every  Year,  so  that  Twelve  Months 
i^liall  not  intervene  between  tiie  last  Sitting  of  the  Legislature  in  each 
Province  in  one  Session  iind  its  first  Sitting  in  the  next  Session. 

87.  The  following  Provisions  of  this  Act  respecting  the  House  of 
Commons  of  Canada  shall  extend  and  apply  to  the  Legislative  Assem- 
blies of  Ontario  and  Quebec,  tiiat  is  to  say,  —  the  Provisions  relating 
to  the  f^lection  of  a  Speaker  originally  and  on  Vacancies,  the  Duties 
of  the  Speaker,  the  absence  of  the  Speaker,  the  Quorum,  and  the  mode 
of  voting,  as  if  those  Provisions  were  here  re-enacted  and  made  appli- 
cabl«!  ill  Terms  to  each  such  Legislative  Assembly. 


4.   Nova  Scotia  and  N'ew  Brunswick. 

88.   The  Cons' ituti'Mi  of  the  Legislature  o^  each  of  the  Provinces  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  shall,  subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this 


APPENDIX  A. 


4S7 


Act,  continue  as  it  exists  at  the  Union  until  .lUered  under  the  Authority 
of  this  Act ;  and  the  House  of  Assembly  of  New  Brunswick  existing  at 
the  passing  of  this  Act  shall,  unless  sooner  dissolved,  continue  for  the 
period  for  which  it  was  elected. 

5.    Ontario,  Quebec,  and  Nova  Scotia. 

89.  Related  to  calling  of  t/tt' jirst  Legislatures.     Effete. 

6.    The  Four  Provinces. 

90.  The  following  Provisions  of  this  Act  respecting  the  Parliament 
of  Canada,  namely,  —  the  Provisions  relating  to  Appropriation  and  Tax 
Bills,  the  Recommendation  of  Money  Votes,  the  Assent  to  Bills,  the 
Disallowance  of  Acts,  and  the  Signification  of  Pleasure  on  Bills  re- 
served,—  shall  extend  and  apply  to  the  Legislatures  of  the  several 
Provinces  as  if  those  Provisions  were  here  re-enacted  and  made  appli- 
cable in  Terms  to  the  respective  Provinces  and  the  Legislatures  thereof, 
with  the  Substitution  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  Province  for 
the  Governor  General,  of  the  Governor  General  for  the  Queen  and  for 
a  Secretary  of  State,  of  One  Year  for  Two  Years,  and  of  the  Province 
for  Canada. 


VI.   Distribution  of  Legislative  Powers. 

Parliament. 


Powers  of  thh 


91.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Queen,  by  and  with  the  Advice  and 
Consent  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Commons,  to  make  Laws  for  the 
Peace,  Order  and  goofl  Government  of  Canada,  in  relation  to  all 
Matters  not  coming  within  the  Classes  of  Subjects  by  this  Act  assigned 
exclusively  to  the  Legislatures  of  the  Provinces ;  and  for  greater  Cer- 
tainty, hut  not  so  as  to  restrict  the  Generality  of  the  foregoing  Terms 
of  this  Section,  it  is  hereby  declared  that  (notwithstanding  anything 
in  this  Act)  the  exclusive  Legislative  Authority  of  the  Parliament  of 
Canada  extends  to  all  Matters  coming  within  the  Classes  of  Subjects 
i\ext  hereinafter  enumerated,  that  is  to  say :  — 
I     The  Public  Debt  and  Property. 

2.  The  Regulation  of  Trade  and  Commerce. 

3.  The  raising  of  Money  by  any  Mode  or  System  of  Taxation. 

4.  The  borrowing  of  Money  on  the  Public  Credit. 

5.  I'ostal  Service. 

6.  The  Census  and  Statistics. 


458 


A    HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


\3 
I  I 


m 


7.  Militia,  Military  and  Naval  Service,  and  Defence. 

8.  The  fixing  of  and  providing  for  the  Salaries  and  Allowances  of 

Civil  and  other  Officers  of  the  Government  of  Canada. 

9.  Beacons,  liuoys,  Lijri,tiK)usfs,  and  Sable  Island. 

10.  Navigation  and  Shipjiing 

11.  (2uarantine  and  the  Kstablishment  and  Maintenance  of  Marine 

Hospitals. 
xi.    Sea  Coast  and  Island  fisheries. 

13.  Ferries  between  a  frovint e  and  any  British  or  Foreign  Country  or 

between  Twc  I'lnvinccs. 

14.  Currency  and  Coinage. 

15.  Hanking,  Incorporation  of  Banks,  and  the  issue  of  Paper  Money. 
j6.    Savings  Banks. 

17.  Weights  and  Measures. 

18.  Bills  of  Exchange  and  Promissory  Notes. 

19.  Interest. 

20.  Legal  Tender. 

21.  Bankruptcy  and  Insolvency. 

22.  Patents  of  Invention  and  Discovery. 

23.  Copyrights. 

24..    Indians,  and  Lands  reserved  for  the  Indians. 

25.  Naturalization  and  Aliens. 

26.  Marriage  and  Divorce. 

27.  The  Criminal  Lau,  except  tiie  Constitution  of  Courts  of  Criminal 

Jurisdiction,  but  including  the  Procedure  in  Criminal  Matters. 

28.  The  Estal)iishment,  Maintenance,  and  Management  of  Penitentiaries. 

29.  Such  Classes  of  Subjects  as  are  expressly  excepted  in  the  Enu- 

meration of  the  Clas.ses  of  Subjects  by  this  Act  assigned  exclu- 
sively to  the  Legislatures  of  the  Provinces. 
And  any  Matter  coming  within  any  of  the  Classes  of  Subjects 
enumerated  in  this  Section  shall  not  be  deemed  to  come  within  the 
Class  of  Matters  of  a  local  or  private  Nature  comprised  in  the  Enumer- 
ation of  the  Classes  of  Subjects  by  this  Act  assigned  exclusively  to  the 
Legislature  of  the  Provinces. 


Exclusive  Powers  of  Provincial  I.ei^islature^. 

92.  In  each  Province  the  Legislature  may  exclusively  make  Laws  in 
relation  to  Matters  coming  within  the  Classes  of  Subjects  next  herein- 
after enumerated,  that  is  to  say  :  — 


APPEXDIX  A. 


459 


I  , 


1.  The  Amendment  fiom  'I'iinc  to  Time,  notwitlist.inflinfj  anything 

in  this  Act,  of  tlie  Constiuitiun  of  the  I'lovinco,  except  as 
ro;!;<'iicls  the  Olllcc  of  I^ieutonanl  Governor. 

2.  Diicci  Taxation  uitliin  the  I'rovinto  in  order  to  tlie  raising  of 

a  RcvcMiie  for  provincial  Purposes. 

3.  The  Ix.irrowiiig  of  Munuy  on  the  sole  (.loilit  of  the  Province. 

4.  'Ihe  Kstablishment   and    Tenurf   of  I'rovincial    Offices  and   tlie 

Appointment  and  Payment  of  Provincial  (Jfficers. 

5.  The  Managomenl  and  the  Sale  of  the  I'nblic  Lands  belonging  to 

thr  Pi()\ince,  and  of  the  Timber  and  Wood  then.-on. 

6.  The  Kstablishment.  Maintenance,  and  Management  of  Public  and 

Heformatory  Prisons  in  and  for  the  Province. 

7.  The  Establishment.  Maintenance,  and  Management  of  Hospitals, 

Asylums,  Charities,  and  Eleemosynary  Institutions  in  and  for 
the  Province,  other  than  Marine  Hospitals. 

8.  Municipal  institutions  in  the  Province. 

9.  Shop,  Saloon,  Tavern,  Auctioneer,  and  other  Licences  in  order  to 

tlie  raising  of  a  Revenue  for  Provincial,  Local,  or  Municipal 
Purposes. 

10.  Local  Works  and   Undertakings  other  than  such  as  are  of  the 

following  Classes:  — 

a.  I  ines  of  Steam  or  other  .Ships,  Railways,  Canals.  Telegraphs, 

and  other  Works  and  Undertakings  connecting  tlie  Prov- 
ince with  any  other  or  others  of  the  Provinces,  or  e.xtend- 
ing  beyond  the  Limits  of  the  Province  : 

b.  Lines  of  Steam  Ships  between  the  Province  and  any  British 

or  Foreign  Country. 

c.  Such  Works  as,  although  wholly  situate  within  the  Province, 

are  before  or  alter  their  Execution  declared  by  the  Parlia- 
ment of  Canada  to  be  for  the  general  Advantage  of  Two 
or  more  of  the  Provinces. 

11.  The  Incorporation  of  Companies  with  Provincial  Objects. 

12.  The  Solemnization  of  Marriage  in  the  Province. 

13.  Property  and  Civil  Kiglits  in  the  Province. 

14.  The  Administration  of  Justice  in  the  Province,  including  the  Con- 

stitution, Maintenance  and  Organization  of  Provincial  Courts, 
both  of  Civil  and  of  Criminal  Jurisdiction,  and  including  Pro- 
cedure in  Civil  Matters  in  those  Courts. 

15.  The  Imposition  of  Punishment  by  Fine,  Penalty,  or  Imprisonment 


In 


460 


A    HISTOKV   OF  CANADA. 


for  jfnforcing  any  Law  of  the  Province  marie  in  relation  to  any 

Matter  coming  within  any  of  tlie  Classes  of  Siihjocis  enumurati;il 

in  tiie  Section. 

16.   Generally  all  Matters  of  a  merely  local  or  private  Nature  in  the 

Province. 

Education . 

93.  In  and  for  each  Province  the  Legislature  may  exclusively  make 
Laws  in  relation  to  Education,  .subject  and  according  to  tlie  following 
Provisions :  ~ 

(1)  Nothing  in  any  such  Law  shall  prejudicially  alVcct  any  riglil   or 

I'rivilege  with  respect  to  Denominational  Schools  which  any 
Class  of  Persons  have  by  Law  in  tlie  Province  at  the  Union: 

(2)  All  the  Powers,  Privileges  and  Duties  at  the  Union  by  Law  con- 

ferred and  imposed  in  Upper  Canada  on  the  Separate  Schools 
and  School  Trustees  of  the  Queen's  Roman  Catholic  Subjects 
shall  and  the  same  are  hereby  extended  to  the  Dissentient 
Schools  of  the  Queen's  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  Suli- 
jects  in  Quebec. 

(3)  Where   in   any   Province   a   Systen\    of  Separate   (;r    Di.ssentient 

Schools  exists  by  Law  at  the  Union,  or  is  thereafter  established 
by  the  Legislature  of  the  Province,  ;ui  Apjieal  shall  lie  to  the 
Governor  General  in  Council  from  any  Act  or  Decision  of  any 
Provincial  Authority  aflecting  any  Right  or  I'tiviU^ge  of  the 
Protestant  or  Roman  Catholic  Minority  of  the  t^i'oen's  .Subjects 
in  relation  to  Kducation  : 

(4)  In  case  any  such  Provincial  Law  as  from  Time  to  Time  seems  to 

the  Governor  General  in  Council  requisite  for  the  due  E.xecu- 
tion  of  the  Provisions  of  this  Section  is  not  maile.  ox  in  case 
any  Decision  of  the  Governor  General  in  Council  on  any  Appeal 
under  this  Section  is  not  duly  executed  by  the  propf  r  Piovincial 
Authority  in  that  Behalf,  then  and  in  every  such  Case,  and  as 
far  only  as  the  Circumstances  of  each  Case  require,  the  Parlia- 
ment of  Canada  may  make  remedi.il  Laws  for  the  due  Execution 
of  the  Provisions  of  this  Section  and  of  any  Decision  of  the 
Governor  General  in  Council  under  this  Section. 

Uniforvtity  of  Laws  in  Ontario^  Nova  Scotia  and  IVew  Brvnsxvick. 

94.  Notwithstanding  anything  in  this  Act,  the  Parliament  of  Canada 
may  make  Provision  for  the  Uniformity  of  all  or  of  any  of  the  Laws 


APPEXDIX  A. 


461 


relative  to  I'ropcrtv  .md  C'ivil  Rijrhts  in  Otit.irio,  Nova  Scotia  and  New 
nrunswi«.I<,  and  of  tiu-  Procedure  of  all  or  any  of  tiie  Courts  in  those 
Three  I'rovinces.  and  from  and  after  the  passinjj  of  any  Act  in  that 
Mehalf  ilie  i'ower  of  the  Kirliament  of  Canada  to  make  Laws  in  relation 
to  any  Matter  compiiicd  'ii  any  such  Act  shall,  notwithstanding;  any- 
tliin;;  in  this  Ait,  be  unrestricted;  but  any  Act  of  the  I'arliam<.nt  of 
Canada  making  Provision  for  each  Uniformity  shall  not  ha\ e  etTect  in 
any  Province  unless  and  until  it  is  adopted  and  enacted  as  Law  by  the 
Lej^islature  thereof. 

Af^iculture  ami  Imniipation. 

95.  In  each  IVovince  the  Legislature  may  make  Laws  in  relation  to 
A>,'riaiUure  in  the  Province,  anti  to  Inimii;ration  into  the  I'rfi\ince; 
..•1  1  it  is  hereby  declared  that  the  Parliament  of  Canada  i.iay  from 

'inie  to  Time  make  Laws  in  relation  to  Agriculture  in  all  (u-  any  of 
the  Provinces,  and  to  Immigration  into  all  or  any  ol  the  K'rovjiK'es; 
and  any  Law  of  the  Legislature  of  a  Province  relative  to  A.uriculture 
or  to  Immigration  shall  have  ctfect  in  and  for  the  Province  .:■!  it)ng 
and  as  far  only  as  it  is  not  repugnant  to  any  Act  of  the  Parliament 
of  Canada. 

VH.    Jl'DICATURE. 

96.  The  Ciovcrnor  G'lneral  shall  apiKiint  the  Judges  of  the  Superior, 
District,  and  County  Courts  in  each  Province,  except  those  of  the  Courts 
of  Probate  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick. 

97.  Until  the  Laws  relative  to  Property  and  ('ivil  Rights  in  Ontario, 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  and  the  Pn!';edure  of  the  Courts  in 
those  Provinces,  are  made  uniform,  the  Judges  of  the  Courts  of  those 
Provinces  aiiiioinled  by  the  Governor  General  shall  be  selected  from 
the  re.'-i)ective  Bars  of  those  Provinces. 

08.  The  Judges  of  the  Courts  of  Quebec  shall  be  selected  from  the 
Bar  of  that  Province. 

99.  The  Judges  of  the  Superior  Courts  shall  hold  ofifice  during  good 
I  ;ehaviour,  but  shall  be  removable  by  the  Governor  General  on  Address 
of  the  Senate  and  I  louse  of  Commons. 

100.  The  Salaries,  Allowances,  and  Pensions  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Superior,  District,  and  County  Courts  (except  the  Courts  of  Probate  in 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick),  and  of  the  Admiralty  Courts  in  Cases 
where  the  Judges  thereof  are  for  the  Time  being  paid  by  Salary,  shall 
be  fixed  and  provided  by  the  Parliament  of  Canada. 


462 


.4   HISTOID Y   OF  CANADA. 


I! 


w 

•  i 


loi.  The  Parliament  of  Canada  may,  notwithstanding  anything;  in 
this  Act.  from  Time  to  Time,  provide  for  the  Constitution,  Maintenance, 
and  Of tjaui /alien  of  a  General  Court  of  Appeal  for  Canada,  and  for  the 
Establishnient  of  any  additional  Courts  for  the  better  administration 
of  the  Liws  of  Canada. 

See  ti>  t)  Salaries  of  Judges  of  Pro7iincial  Court,  K.  S.  C,  c.  138. 
As  to  General  Court  of  Appeal  for  Canada,  see  R.  S.  C,  c.  135.  Ais 
to  E.xiJu't/iier  Court,  see  50-51  Vict.  {Dom  ),  c.  16. 

VIII.    Rkvk.niiks;  DfiBTS;  Assets;  Taxation. 

102.  All  Duties  and  Revenues  over  which  the  respective  Legislatures 
of  Caii.ida,  Nuva  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick  befori;  ami  at  the  Union 
liad  and  have  Power  of  Ajipropriation,  except  such  Portions  thereof  as 
are  by  this  Act  reserved  to  the  respective  Legislatures  of  the  Provinces, 
or  are  raised  by  them  in  accordance  with  the  special  Powers  conferred 
on  them  by  this  Act,  shall  form  One  Consolidated  Revenue  F'und,  to 
bo  aijproptiatcti  for  the  Public  .Service  of  Canada  in  the  iVIanner  and 
subject  to  the  Charges  in  this  Act  provided. 

103.  Tlie  Consolidated  Revenue  Fund  of  Canada  shall  be  perma- 
nently charged  with  the  Costs,  Charges,  and  Expenses  incident  to  tlie 
Collection,  Management,  and  Receipt  thereof,  and  the  same  shall  form 
the  First  Charge  thereon,  subject  to  be  reviewed  and  audited  in  such 
Manner  as  shall  be  ordered  by  the  Ciovernor  General  in  Council  until 
the  Parliament  otiierwise  provides. 

104.  The  annual  interest  of  the  Public  Debts  of  the  several  Prov- 
inces (  f  Can.ida,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Bruusuick  at  tlie  Union  shall 
form  the  Second  Charge  on  the  Consolidated  Revenue  Fund  of  Canada. 

105.  Unless  altered  by  the  Parliament  of  C  anada,  the  Salary  of  the 
Governor  General  shall  be  Ten  Thousand  Pounds  Sterling  Money 
of  the  United  Kingtiom  of  Great  i'litain  and  Ireland,  payable  out  of 
the  Consolid.ited  Kivenue  Fund  of  Canada,  and  the  same  shail  form 
the  Third  Charge  thereon. 

106.  Subject  to  the  several  i)ayments  by  this  Act,  charged  on  the 
Consolidated  Revenue  Fund  of  Canada,  tlie  same  shall  be  appropriated 
by  the  Parliament  of  Canada  for  tliu  Pul.lic  Service. 

As  t:)  Consolidated  Reiienne  I-utuU  see  R.  S.  C,  c.  29. 

107.  All  Stocks,  Cash,  lianker's  Balances,  and  Securities  for  Money 
belonging  to  each  Province  at  the  Time  of  the  Union,  except  as  in  this 
Act  mentioned,  shall  be  the  Property  of  Canada,  and  shall  be  taken 


AIPENDIX  A. 


463 


anything  in 
lalntenance, 
,  and  lor  the 
.ministration 

)•.  C.,c.  138. 
c.  135.     ^'is 


Legislatures 
t  the  Union 
IS  tliereot"  as 
le  Provinces, 
rs  conferred 
lue  F'und,  to 
Manner  and 

11  be  perm  a- 
ident  to  the 
e  shall  form 
ited  in  such 
ouncil  until 

vcral  Prov- 
Jnion  shall 
of  Canada. 
;ilai  V  ot  the 
ing  Money 
able  out  of 
shall  form 

rged  on  the 
ipropriated 


for  Money 
5t  as  in  this 
11  be  taken 


I 

J 


in  Reduction  of  the  amount  ot  the  respective  Debts  of  the  Provinces 
of  the  Union. 

108.  The  PiibHc  Works  and  Property  of  each  Province,  enumerated 
in  the  Third  Schedule  to  tliis  Act,  shall  be  the  Property  of  Canada. 

109.  All  Lands.  Mines,  Minerals,  and  Royalties  belonging  to  the 
several  Provinces  ol  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Brunswick  at  tlie 
Union,  and  all  Sums  tlien  due  or  payable  for  such  Lands,  Mines.  Min- 
erals, or  Royalties,  shall  belong  to  the  several  Provinces  of  Ontario, 
Quebec,  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  in  which  the  same  are  situ- 
ate or  arise,  subject  to  any  Trusts  existing  in  respect  thereof,  and  to 
any  interest  other  than  that  of  the  Province  in  the  same. 

no.  All  Assets  connected  with  such  Portions  of  the  Public  Debt 
of  each  Province  as  are  assumed  by  that  Province  shall  belong  to  that 
Province. 

111.  Canada  shall  be  liable  for  the  Debts  and  Liabilities  of  each 
Province  existing  at  the  Union. 

112.  Ontario  and  Quebec  conjointly  shall  be  liable  to  Canada  for 
the  Amount  (if  any)  by  which  tlie  Debt  of  the  Province  of  Canada 
exceeds  at  the  Union  Sixty-two  million  five  hundred  thousand  Dollars, 
and  shall  be  chart>;ed  with  interest  at  the  Rate  of  Five  per  Centum  per 
Annum  thereon. 

113.  The  Assets  enumerated  in  the  Fourth  Schedule  to  this  Act 
belonging  at  the  Union  to  the  Province  of  Canada  shall  be  the  P'-operty 
of  Ontario  and  Quebec  conjointly. 

114.  Nova  Scotia  shall  be  liable  to  Canada  for  the  Amount  Cif  any) 
by  which  its  Pul)lic  Debt  exceeds  at  the  Union  Eight  million  Dollars, 
and  shall  be  charged  with  Interest  at  the  Rate  of  Five  per  Centum  per 
Annum  thereon. 

115.  New  Brunswick  shall  be  liable  to  Canada  for  the  Amount  (if 
t.'.iy)  by  which  its  Public  Debt  exceeds  at  the  Union  Seven  million 
Dollars,  a  id  shall  be  charged  with  Interest  at  the  Rate  of  Five  per 
Centum  per  Annum  thereon. 

116.  In  case  the  Public  Debts  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Hmnswick 
do  not  at  the  Union  amount  to  Eight  million  and  Seven  million  Dollars 
respectively,  they  shall  respectively  receive  ijy  half-yearly  I'.iyments  in 
advance  from  the  Government  of  Canada  interest  at  Five  per  Centum 
per  Annum  on  the  Difference  between  the  actual  Amounts  of  their 
respective  Debts  and  such  stipulated  Amounts. 

///  addition  to  the  $77,500,000  pnn<ided  Jor  in  sections  112,  n^,  and 


I 


404 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


115,  t/ic  Dominion  fins  since  Confederation  assumed  $31,930,148  on 
account  (if  the  Provinces. 

117.  The  several  Pnwinces  shall  retain  all  their  respective  Public 
Proptrlv  not  othtrwisc;  disposed  of  in  this  Act,  subject  to  the  Right  of 
Canada  to  assume  any  Lands  or  Public  Property  required  for  Fortifica- 
tions or  for  the  Defence  of  the  Country. 

118.  The  loIKivviug  Sams  shall  be  paid  yearly  by  Canada  to  the  sev- 
eral  Province.-,  tor  the  Supporl  oi  their  Government  and  Legislatures. 

Ontario Eighty  thousand  Dollars. 

Quel  i-x Seventy  thousand  Dollars. 

Nova  Scotia Sixty  thousand  Dollars. 

New  Brunswick       ....  Fifty  thousand  Dollars. 

Two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand;  and  an  annual  Grant  in  aid  of  eacli 
Province  shall  be  made,  equal  to  Eighty  Cents  pe>'  Head  of  the  Popu- 
lation as  ascertained  by  the  Census  of  One  Thousand  eight  hundred 
and  .sixty-one,  and  in  die  case  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  by 
each  subseijuent  Decennial  Census  until  the  Population  of  each  of  t'^ose 
two  Provinces  amounts  to  Four  hundred  thousand  Souls,  at  which  Rate 
such  Grant  shall  thereafter  remain.  Such  Grants  sl;all  be  in  full  Set- 
tlement of  all  future  Demands  on  Canada,  and  shall  be  paid  half-yearly 
in  advance  to  each  l^rovince ;  but  the  Government  of  Canada  shall 
deduct  fio'.ii  such  grams,  as  against  any  province,  all  Sums  chargeable 
as  Interest  on  tlie  Public  Debt  of  that  Province  in  excess  of  the  several 
Amounts  stipulated  in  thi.-^  Act. 

119.  New  Brunswick  shall  receive  by  half-yearly  Payments  in  advance 
from  Canada  for  the  F'eriod  of  Ten  Years  from  the  Union,  an  Addi- 
tional Allowance  of  Sixty-three  thousand  Dollars  per  Annum ;  but  as 
lonir  as  the  Public  Debt  of  that  Province  remains  under  Seven  million 
L'ollars.  a  Deduction  efjual  to  the  Interest  at  Five  per  Centum  per 
Annum  on  such  Deficiency  shall  be  made  from  that  Allowance  of  Sixty- 
three  thousand  Dollars. 

t20.  All  Payments  to  be  made  under  this  Act,  or  in  discharge  of 
Liabilities  created  under  any  Act  of  the  Provinces  of  Canada,  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  respectively  and  assumed  by  Canada,  shall, 
until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  directs,  be  made  in  such  Yoxm. 
and  Mannei  as  may  from  Time  to  Time  be  ordered  by  the  Governor 
General  in  Council. 

The  preser.t  Act  relating  to  subsidies  to  the  provinces  is  R.  S.  C,  c.  46. 


5i,93o»i48  on 

lective  Public 

»  the  Right  of 

for  Fortifica- 

:1a  to  the  sev- 
Legislatures. 

illars. 
•ollars. 
ars. 
ars. 

n  aid  of  eacli 
of  the  Popu- 
ight  hundred 
irunswick,  by 
each  of  t'^ose 
It  which  Rate 
be  in  full  Set- 
lid  half-yearly 
Canada  shall 
ns  chargeable 
Df  the  several 

Its  in  advance 
ion,  an  Addi- 
num ;  but  as 
Seven  million 
Centum  per 
mce  of  Sixty- 
discharge  of 
Canada,  Nova 
I'anada,  shall. 
in  such  Form 
the  Governor 

i.S.  C.,c.  46. 


APPENDIX  A. 


465 


121.  All  Articles  of  the  Growth,  Produce  or  Manufacture  of  any  one 
of  the  Provinces  shall,  from  and  after  the  Union,  be  admitted  free  into 
each  of  the  other  Provinces. 

122.  Tlie  Customs  and  Excise  Laws  of  each  Province  shall,  subject 
to  the  Provisions  of  this  Act,  continue  in  force  until  altered  by  the  Par- 
liament of  Canada. 

r/iese  matters  have  been  legislated  upon  by  the  Dominion.  See 
R.  S.  C,  chaps.  32,  33,  34. 

123.  Where  Customs  Duties  are,  at  the  Union,  leviable  on  any 
Goods,  Wares,  or  Merchandises  in  any  two  Provinces,  those  Goods. 
Wares,  and  Merchandises  may,  from  and  after  the  Union,  be  imported 
from  one  of  those  Provinces  into  the  other  of  them  on  Proof  of  Payment 
of  the  Customs  Duty  leviable  t'^ereon  in  the  Province  of  Exportation 
and  on  Payment  of  such  further  Amount  (if  any)  of  Customs  Duty  as 
is  leviable  thereon  in  the  Province  of  Importation. 

124.  Noticing  in  this  Act  shall  aftect  the  Right  of  New  Bmnswick 
to  levy  the  Lumber  Dues  provided  in  Ciiapter  Fifteen  of  Title  Three  of 
the  Revised  Statutes  of  New  Bmnswick,  or  in  any  Act  amending  that 
Act  before  or  afier  the  Union,  and  not  increasing  the  Amount  of  such 
Dues  ;  but  the  Lumber  of  any  of  the  Provinces  other  than  New  Bruns- 
wick shall  not  be  subject  to  such  Dues. 

Ne-iJ  Ih-unswick  havin^a^  surrendered  these  lumber  dues,  the  Dominion 
pays  that  Province  $150,000  a  year  additional.     A\  S.  C".,  c.  46,  s.  i. 

125.  No  Lands  or  I'roperty  belonging  to  Canada  or  any  Province 
shall  be  liable  to  Taxation. 

126.  Such  Portions  of  the  Duties  and  Revenues  over  which  the 
respective  Legislatures  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick 
had  before  tlie  Union  I^iwer  of  Approprinlion  as  are  by  this  Act 
reserved  to  the  respective  Governments  or  Legislatures  of  the  Provinces, 
and  all  Duties  and  Re\enues  raised  by  them  in  accordance  with  the 
special  Powers  conferred  upon  them  by  this  Act,  shall  in  each  Province 
form  One  Consolidated  Rev  enue  Fund  to  be  appropriated  for  the  Public 
Service  of  the  Province 

LX.  Miscellaneous  Provisions. 
General. 

127.  If  any  Person  being  at  the  passing  of  this  Act  a  Member  of  the 
Legislative  Council  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia  or  New  Brunswick,  to  whom 


466 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


'^l 


a  Place  in  the  Senate  is  offered,  does  not  wiil.in  Thirty  Days  thereafter, 
by  Writing  under  his  Hand  addressed  to  the  Governor  General  of  the 
Province  of  Canada,  to  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia  or 
New  lirunswick  (as  the  case  may  be),  accept  the  same,  he  shall  be 
deemed  to  have  declined  the  same ;  and  any  Person  who,  being,  at  the 
passing  of  this  Act,  a  Member  of  the  Legislative  Council  of  Nova  Scotia 
or  New  Brunswick,  accepts  a  Place  in  the  Senate  shall  thereby  vacate 
his  Seat  in  such  Legislative  Council. 

128.  Every  Member  of  the  Senate  or  House  of  Commons  of  Canada 
shall,  before  taking  his  seat  therein,  take  and  subscribe  before  the  Gov- 
ernor General  or  some  Person  authorized  by  him,  and  every  Member 
of  a  Legislative  Council  or  Legislative  Assembly  of  any  Province  shall 
before  taking  his  Seat  therein  take  and  subscribe  before  the  Lieutenant 
Governor  of  the  Province  or  some  Person  authorized  by  him,  the  Oath 
of  Allegiance  contained  in  the  Fifth  Schedule  to  this  Act ;  and  every 
Member  of  the  Senate  of  Canada  and  every  Member  of  the  Legislative 
Council  of  Quebec  shall  also,  before  taking  his  Seat  therein,  take  and 
subscribe  before  the  Governor-General,  or  some  Person  authorized  by 
him,  the  Declaration  of  Qualification  contained  in  the  same  Schedule. 

129.  Except  as  otherwise  provided  by  this  Act,  all  Laws  in  force  in 
Canada,  Nova  Scotia  or  New  Htunswick  at  the  Union,  and  all  Courts 
of  Civil  and  Criminal  Jiuisdiction.  and  all  legal  Commissions,  Powers 
and  Authorities,  and  all  Offices,  Judicial,  Administrative,  anci  Ministe- 
rial, existing  therein  at  the  Union,  shall  continue  in  Ontario,  Quebec, 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  respectively,  as  if  the  Union  had  not 
been  made ;  subject  nevertheless  (except  with  respect  to  such  as  are 
enacted  by  or  exist  under  Acts  of  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  or  of 
the  Parliament  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland), 
to  be  repealed,  abolished,  or  altered  by  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  or 
by  the  Legislatiu'e  of  the  respective  Province  according  to  the  Authority 
of  the  Parliament  or  of  that  Legislature  under  this  Act. 

130.  Until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  provides,  all  Officers 
of  the  several  Provinces  having  Duties  to  discharge  in  relation  to  Mat- 
ters other  than  those  coming  within  the  classes  of  Subjects  by  this  Act 
assigned  exclusively  to  the  Legislatures  of  the  Provinces  shall  be 
Officers  of  Canada,  and  shall  continue  to  discharge  the  Duties  of  their 
respective  Offices  under  the  same  Liabilities,  Responsibilities,  and  Pen- 
alties as  if  the  Union  had  not  been  made. 

131.  Until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  otherwise  provides,  the  Gov- 


if 


•ays  thereafter, 
icneral  of  the 
ova  Scotia  or 
e,  he  shall  be 
',  being,  at  the 
)f  Nova  Scotia 
hereby  vacate 

3ns  of  Canada 

;fore  the  Gov- 

;very  Member 

FVovince  shall 

he  Lieutenant 

him,  the  Oath 

:t ;   and  every 

he  Legislative 

rein,  take  and 

authorized  by 

me  Schedule. 

\vs  in  force  in 

nd  all  Courts 

sions,  Powers 

and  Ministe- 

ario,  Quebec, 

nion  had  not 

I  such  as  ai'e 

Britain,  or  of 

md  Ireland), 

f  Canada,  or 

he  Authority 

^,  all  Officers 
It  ion  to  Mat- 
5  by  this  Act 
:es  shall  be 
ties  of  their 
es,  and  Pen- 
es, the  Gov- 


APPENDIX  A. 


467 


ernor  General  in  Council  may  from  Time  to  Time  appoint  such  Officers 
as  the  Governor  General  in  Council  deems  necessary  or  proper  for  tlie 
effectual  Execution  of  this  Act. 

132.  The  Parliament  and  Government  of  Canada  shall  have  all 
Powers  necessary  or  proper  for  performing  !;\e  Obligations  of  Canada 
or  of  any  Province  thereof,  as  Part  of  tlie  British  Empire,  towards  For- 
ei<v.i  Countries,  arising  under  Treaties  between  the  Empire  and  such 

reign  Countries. 

133.  Either  tlu;  English  or  the  French  Language  may  be  used  by 
any  Person  in  llic  Debates  of  the  Hduscs  of  tlie  Parhament  of  Canada 
and  of  the  Houses  of  the  Legislature  of  Quebec;  and  both  those  Lan- 
guages shall  be  nsed  in  the  respective  Records  and  Journals  of  those 
Houses ;  and  either  of  those  Languages  may  ije  used  by  any  Person  or 
in  any  Pleading  or  Process  in  ox  issuing  from  any  Court  of  Canada 
established  under  this  Act,  and  in  or  from  all  or  any  of  the  Courts  of 
Quebec. 

The  acts  of  tlie  Parliament  of  Canada  and  of  the  Legislature  of 
Quebec  shall  be  printed  and  pul)lisiicd  in  botli  th(jse  Languages. 

O.NTARIO    AND   QCKIUCC. 

134.  Lentil  the  Legislature  of  Ontario  or  of  Quebec  otherwise  pro- 
vides, tlu'.  Lieutenant  Governors  of  Ontario  and  Quebec  may  each 
appoint,  under  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Province,  the  following  Officers, 
to  hold  Office  during  Pleasure,  that  is  to  say,  —  Ihe  Attorney  General, 
the  Secretary  and  Registrar  of  the  Province,  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Province,  the  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands,  and  the  Commissioner  of 
Agriculture  and  Public  Works,  and,  in  the  Case  of  Quebec,  the  Solicitor 
General ;  and  may,  by  Order  of  the  Lieutenant  Governor  in  Council, 
from  Time  to  Time  prescribe  the  Deities  of  those  Officers  and  of  the 
several  Departments  over  which  they  shall  preside  or  to  which  they 
shall  belong,  and  of  the  Officers  and  Clerks  thereof;  and  may  also 
appoint  other  and  additional  O.Ticers  to  hold  Office  during  Pleasure, 
and  mav  from  Time  to  Time  prescribe  the  Duties  of  those  Officers, 
and  of  the  several  Departments  over  which  they  shall  preside  or  to 
which  they  shall  belong,  and  of  the  Officers  and  Clerks  thereof. 

The  Ontario  Ch'il  Service  Act  is  R.  S.  O.,  1887.  c.  !4. 

135.  Until  the  Legislature  of  Ontario  or  Quebec  otherwise  provides, 
all  Rights,  Powers,  Duties,  Functions,  Responsibilities,  or  Authorities 
.at  the  passing  of  this  Act  vested  in  or  imposed  on  the  Attorney  Gen- 


mfr 


II 


468 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA, 


i) 

ll 


eral,  Solicitor  General,  Secretary  and  Registrar  of  the  Province  of 
Canada,  Minister  of  Finance,  Commissioner  of  Crown  Lands,  Commis- 
sioner of  Public  Works,  and  Minister  of  Agriculture  and  Receiver 
General,  by  any  Law,  Statute  or  Ordinance  of  Upper  Canada,  Lower 
Canada,  or  Canada,  and  not  repugnant  to  this  Act,  shall  be  vested  in 
or  imposed  on  any  Ofticer  to  be  appointed  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor 
for  the  Discharge  of  tlie  same  or  any  of  them ;  and  the  Commissioner 
of  Agriculture  and  Public  Works  shall  perform  the  Duties  and  Func- 
tions of  the  Office  of  Minister  of  Agriculture  at  the  passing  of  this  Act 
imposed  by  the  Law  of  the  Province  of  Canada,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Public  Works. 

136.  Related  to  use  of  Great  Seals  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada^ 
Ontario  and  Quebec  temporarily.     Effete. 

1 37.  Related  to  use  of  words  "  next  Session  "  as  applied  to  Acts  cur- 
rent at  time  of  Union.     Effete. 

138.  From  and  after  the  Union  the  Use  of  the  Words  "Upper 
Canada"  instcvid  of  "Ontario,"  or  "Lower  Canada"  instead  of  "Que- 
bec," in  any  Deed,  Writ,  Process,  Pleading,  Document,  Matter,  or 
Thing,  shall  not  invalidate  the  same. 

139.  Any  Proclamation  under  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Province  of 
Canada  issued  before  the  Union  to  take  effect  at  a  Time  which  is  sub- 
sequent to  the  Union,  whether  relating  to  that  Province  or  to  Upper 
Canada,  or  to  Lower  Canada,  and  the  se\'eral  Matters  and  Things 
therein  proclaimed  shall  be  and  continue  of  like  Force  and  Effect  as  if 
the  Union  had  not  been  made. 

140.  Any  Proclamation  which  is  authorized  by  any  Act  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  Province  of  Canada  to  be  issued  under  the  Great  Seal  of 
the  Province  of  Canada,  whether  relating  to  that  Province,  or  to  Upper 
Canada,  or  to  Lower  Canada,  and  which  is  not  issued  before  the  Union, 
may  be  issued  by  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Ontario  or  of  Quebec,  as 
its  Subject  Matter  requires,  under  the  Great  Seal  thereof;  and  from,  and 
after  the  Issue  of  such  Proclamation,  the  same  and  the  .several  Matters 
and  Things  therein  proclaimed  shall  be  and  continue  of  the  like  Force 
and  Effect  in  Ontario  or  Quebec  as  if  the  Union  had  not  been  made. 

141.  Related  to  Penitentiary  of  old  Province  of  Canada.  See  now 
R.  S.  C,  c.  182. 

142.  The  Division  and  Adjustment  of  the  Debts,  Credits,  Liabilities, 
Properties  and  Assets  of  Upper  Canada  and  Lower  Canada  shall  be 
referred  to  the  Arbitrament  of  Three  Arbitrators,  One  chosen  by  the 


APPENDJX  A. 


469 


Province  of 
nds,  Commis- 
and  Receiver 
anada.  Lower 
1  be  vested  in 
ant  Governor 
L'ommi.ssioner 
es  and  Func- 
g  of  this  Act 
>  those  of  the 

^wer  Canada, 

i  to  Acts  cur- 

ards  "Upper 
;ad  of  "Qiie- 
t,  Matter,  or 

Province  of 
which  is  sub- 
or  to  Upper 

and  Things 
d  Effect  as  if 

of  the  Legis- 
ireat  Seal  of 
or  to  Upper 
e  the  Union, 
f  Quebec,  as 
nd  from,  and 
end  M.uters 
e  like  Force 
Jen  made. 
a.     See  nou> 

I,  Liabilities, 
ida  shall  be 
osen  by  the 


U 


Government  of  Ontario,  One  by  the  Government  of  (2uebcc.  and  One 
by  the  Ciovernmeut  of  Canada;  and  the  .Selection  of  the  Arbitrators 
shall  not  be  made  until  the  Parliament  of  Canada  and  the  Legislatures 
of  Ontario  and  Quebec  have  met ;  and  the  /Vrbitrator  chosen  by  the 
Government  of  Canada  sliall  not  be  a  Resident  either  in  Ontario  or  in 
Quebec. 

143.  The  Governor  General  in  Council  may  from  Time  to  Time 
order  that  such  and  so  many  of  the  Records,  Books  and  Documents 
of  the  Province  of  Canada  as  he  think.-,  fit  shall  be  appropriated  and 
delivered  either  to  Ontario  or  to  Qui.'bec,  and  the  same  shall  thence- 
forth be  the  Property  of  that  Province;  and  any  Copy  thereof  or 
Extract  therefrom,  duly  certified  by  the  Officer  having  charge  of  the 
Original  thereof,  shall  be  admitted  as  Evidence. 

144.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Quebec  may  from  Time  to  Time, 
by  Proclamation  under  tlie  Great  Seal  of  tlie  Province,  to  take  effect 
from  a  day  to  be  appointed  therein,  constitute  Townships  in  those 
Parts  of  the  Province  of  Quebec  in  which  Townships  are  not  then 
already  constituted,  and  ti.x  the  Metes  and  Bounds  thereof. 


X.   Inteucoloni.'VL  R.\ilwav. 

145.    Related  to  building  of  Intercolonial  Railway, 
•was  built  as  required.     The  section  is  therefore  effete. 

XL   Admission  ok  Other  Colonies. 


The  Raihvav 


146.  It  sliall  be  lawful  for  the  Queen,  by  and  with  the  Advice  of 
Her  Majesty's  Most  Honorable  Privy  Council,  on  Addresses  from  the 
Houses  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  and  from  the  Houses  of  the 
respective  Legislatures  of  the  Colonies  or  Provinces,  of  Newfoundland, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  and  British  Columbia,  to  admit  those  Colonies 
or  Provinces,  or  any  of  them,  into  the  Union,  and  on  Address  from  the 
Houses  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada  to  admit  Rupert's  Land  and  the 
North-western  Territory,  or  either  of  them,  into  the  Union,  on  such 
Terms  and  Conditions  in  each  Case  as  are  in  tiie  Addresses  expressed 
and  as  the  Queen  thinks  fit  to  api>rove.  subject  to  the  Provisions  of  this 
Act;  and  the  Provisions  of  any  Order  in  Council  in  that  Belialf  shall 
have  effect  as  if  they  had  been  enacted  by  the  Parliament  of  the  United 
Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

Under  the  authority  conferred  by  this  section  thefollo^uing  Provinces 
have  been  admitted  to  th^  Dominion  :  — 


470 


A  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


n 


Afanitoba  and  Northwest  Territories.  15th  July,  1870. 

British  Columbia,  20th  July,  1871. 

Prince  Kd^vani  Island,  1st  July,  1873. 

147.  In  case  of  the  Admission  of  Newfoundland  and  Prince  Edward 
Island,  or  either  of  tiiem,  each  shall  he  entitled  to  a  Representation  in 
the  Senate  of  Canada  of  Four  Members,  and  (notwithstanding  any- 
thing in  this  Act)  in  case  of  the  admission  of  Newfoundland,  the 
normal  Number  of  Senators  shall  be  Seventy-six  and  their  maximum 
Number  shall  be  Eighty-two;  but  Prince  Edward  Island  when  ad- 
mitted shall  be  deemed  to  l)e  comprised  in  the  third  of  the  Three 
Divisions  into  whicli  Canada  is,  in  relation  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
Senate,  divided  by  this  Act,  and  accordingly,  after  the  Admission  of 
Prince  Edward  Island,  whether  Newfoundland  is  admitted  or  not,  the 
Representation  of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  in  the  Senate  shall, 
as  Vacancies  occur,  be  reduced  from  Twelve  to  Ten  Members,  respec- 
tively, and  the  Representation  of  each  of  those  Provinces  shall  not  be 
increased  at  any  Time  beyond  Ten,  except  under  the  Provisions  of  this 
Act  for  the  Appointment  of  Three  or  Six  additional  Senators  under  the 
Direction  of  the  Queen. 

See  note  to  Section  22  above. 

SCHEDULES. 

77/1?  First  Schedule  and  the  Second  Schedule  related  to  the  original 
Electoral  Di^'isions.  ivhicli  have  since  been  altered  from  time  to  time  as 
provided  for  in  Section  5 1  of  the  Act. 


Thk  Third  Schedulk. 
Proinncial  Public  Works  and  Property  to  be  the  Property  of  Canada. 

1.  Canals,  with  Lands  and  Water  Power  connected  therewith. 

2.  Public  Harbors. 

3.  Lighthouses  and  Piers,  and  Sable  Island. 

4.  Steamboats,  Dredges,  and  public  Vessels. 

5.  Rivers  and  Lake  Improvements. 

6.  Railways  and  Railway  Stocks,  .Mortgages,  and  other  Debts  due 

by  Railway  Companies. 

7.  Military  Roads. 

8.  Custom  Houses.  Post   Offices,  and   all  other  Public  Buildings, 


APPENDIX  A. 


4;  I 


to. 


except  such  as  the  (lovernment  of  Canada  appropriate  for  the 

Use  .,f  the  Provincial  Legislatures  and  Covernmenls 
Property  transferred  by  the  Imperial  Governn.ent,  and  known  a.s 

Orduiance  Property. 
Armories,  Drill  Sheds  AUlitary  Clothing:,  and  Munitions  of  War, 

and  Lands  set  apart  for  Centra)  Public  Purposes. 

The  Fourth  Sciii-DrLK. 

Assets  to  be  Property  of  ( hitario  and  Quebec  conjointly. 

Upper  Canada  Building  Fund. 
Lunatic  Asylum. 
Normal  School. 
Court  Houses,  ) 

in 
Aylmer.  -  Lower  Canada. 

Montreal. 
Kamouraska. 

Law  Society,  Upper  Canada. 
iMontreal  Turnpike  Trust. 
University  Permanent  Fund. 
Royal  Institution. 

Consolidated  Municipal  Loan  Fund,  Upper  Canada. 
Consolidated  Municipal  Loan  Fund,  Lowei  Canada. 
Agricultural  Society.  Upper  Canada. 
Lower  Canada  Lctjislative  Grant. 
Quebec  Fire  Liian. 
Temiscciuata  Advance  Account. 
Quebec  Turnpike  Tnist. 
Education — East. 

Building  and  Jury  Fund,  Lower  Canada. 
Municipalities  Fund. 
Lower  Canatla  Superior  Education  Income  Fund. 


ther  Debts  due 


blic  Buildings, 


The  Fifth  Schedule. 

Oat/i  of  Al/e0atue. 

I,  A.  B.,  do  swear.  That  I  will  be  faithful  and  bear  true  Allegiance 
to  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria. 


472 


A   HISTORY  OF  C AX  A  DA, 


\ 


Note,  —  The  Name  of  the  fs.'ing  or  Queen  of  the  United  Kitn^dom  of 
Great  Britain  ami  Ireland  for  the  Time  bfin^  is  to  be  substituted  fro»i 
'Time  to  Time,  with  proper  Terms  of  J^tfere/ue  thereto. 


n  !  . 

ill 


I 


Declaration  of  Qualification, 

I,  A.  /)'.,  do  declare  and  tt-stify,  That  I  am  by  Law  duly  qualified  to 
be  appointed  a  IMcniber  of  the  Senate  of  Canada  \or  as  the  Case  may 
be'],  and  that  I  am  legally  oi  equitably  seized  as  of  p'reehold  for  my 
own  Use  and  Benefit  of  Lands  and  Tenements  held  in  Free  and 
Common  Socage  [or  seized-  or  possessed  for  my  own  Use  and  Benefit 
of  Lands  or  Tenements  held  in  Franc  aleii  or  in  Roture  {as  the  Case 
may  be)],  in  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  [or  as  the  Case  may  be], 
of  the  Value  of  Four  Thousand  Dollars  over  and  above  all  Rents, 
Dues,  Debts,  Mortgages,  Charges,  and  Incuml)rances  due  or  payable 
out  of  or  charged  on  or  ailecting  the  same,  and  that  I  have  not  col- 
lusively  or  colorably  obtained  a  Title  to  or  become  possessed  of  the 
said  Lands  and  Tenement.-,  or  any  Part  thereof  for  the  Purpose  of 
enabling  me  to  become  a  Member  of  the  Senate  of  Canada  [or  as  the 
Case  may  be],  and  tJiat  my  Real  and  Personal  Pr(jperty  are  together 
worth  Four  thousand  Dollars  over  and  above  my  Debts  and  Liabilities. 

Ai'i'i:\Dix  A. 

An  Act  respecting  the  establishment  of  Provinces  in  the  Dominion 

of  Canaila. 

Imperial  Act,  34  and  35  Vict.,  c,  28. 

29/X(  June,  1871. 

Wherf.as  doubts  have  been  entertained  respecting  the  powers  of  the 
Parliament  of  Canada  to  estalilish  Provinces  in  Territories  admitted,  or 
which  may  be  hereafter  admitted  into  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  aud  to 
provide  for  the  rej^resentation  of  such  Provinces  in  the  said  I'ariiamcnt, 
and  it  is  expedient  to  remove  such  doubts,  and  to  vest  such  powers  in 
the  said  Parliament :  — 

Be  it  enacted,  by  the  Queen's  Most  Excellent  .\rnj'.'sty,  by  and  with 
the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Lords  Spiritual  and  Temporal,  and 
Commons,  in  this  present  Parliament  assembled,  and  by  the  authority 
of  the  same,  as  follows :  —  '  v 


APPENDIX  A. 


473 


the  Dominion 


I.  This  Act  may  be  cited  for  all  purposes  as  'Tlie  British  North 
America  Act,  1871." 

a.  Tile  I'arlianu  nt  of  Canada  may,  from  time  to  time,  establish  new 
Provinces  in  any  Territories  forming  for  tlu;  time  beinj,'  part  of  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  but  not  included  in  any  Province  thereof,  and 
may,  at  the  time  of  such  estal>iisliment,  make  ]>rovision  for  the  consti- 
tution and  administration  of  any  TnAinte.  and  for  tlic  passing  of  laws 
for  the  peace,  order  and  good  govttrnment  of  such  Province,  and  for  its 
representation  in  the  said  J'arliament. 

3.  The  Parliament  of  (.anada  may.  from  Time  to  Time,  nitli  the 
consent  of  the  Legislature  of  any  Province  of  the  said  Dominion,  in- 
crease, diminish  or  otherwise  alter  the  limits  of  such  Province,  upon 
such  terms  and  conditions  as  may  |je  agreed  to  by  the  said  Legislature, 
and  may,  with  the  M<e  consent,  make  jiiovision  respecting  ♦.he  etfect  aiu' 
operation  of  any  such  increase  or  cMminution  or  alteral'on  ol  Territoi 
in  relation  to  any  Province  affected  lliereby. 

4.  The  Parliament  of  Canada  may,  from  time  to  time,  make  pro- 
vision for  the  administration,  peace,  order  and  giwjd  governniunt  of  any 
Territory  not  for  the  tune  being  included  in  any  I'rovince. 

5.  The  following  Acts  passed  by  the  said  I'arliament  of  Canada, 
and  intituled  respectively:  "An  Act  for  the  temporary  government 
••  of  Rupert's  Land  and  the  North-VVestern  Territory  when  united  with 
"Canada,"  and  "An  Ai:t  to  amend  and  continue  the  Act  32  and  33 
"  Victoria,  chapter  3,  and  to  establish  and  provide  for  the  Government 
"  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba,"  shall  be  and  be  deemed  to  have  been 
valid  and  effectual  for  .dl  purposes  whatsoever  from  the  date  at  which 
they  respectively  received  tiie  assent,  in  the  f)ueen's  name,  of  the  Gover- 
nor General  of  the  said  Dominion  of  Canada. 

6.  Except  as  provided  liy  the  third  Section  of  this  Act,  it  shall  not 
be  competent  for  the  Parliament  of  Canada  to  alter  the  provisions  of 
the  last  mentioned  Act  of  the  said  Parliament,  in  so  far  as  it  relates  to 
the  Province  of  Manitoba,  or  of  any  other  Act  hereafter  estai)lishing 
new  Provinces  in  the  said  Dominion,  subject  always  to  the  right  of  the 
Legislature  of  the  Province  of  Manitoba  to  alter  from  time  to  time  the 
provisions  of  any  law  respecting  the  (]ualilications  of  Electors  and 
members  oi  the  Legislative  Assembly,  and  to  laake  laws  respecting 
elections  in  the  same  Province. 


I 


474 


//    iriSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


Iff 


AlMlCNDIX    IJ.  * 

An  Act  to  remove  certain  doubts  with  respect  to  the  powers  of  the 
Parliament  of  Canada,  under  Section  i8  of  the  liritish  Nortii  Amer- 
ica Act,  1867. 

Imperial  Art,  38  and  39  Vict..,  c.  38. 

kC//  July,  1875. 

WnKRKAS,  by  srction  ei^htten  of  the  Hritish  North  America  Act, 
1867,  it  is  provided  as  follows.  - 

'■The  privileges,  iininuiuties  and  powers  to  bo  held,  cnjoyt-d  anrl 
"exercised  by  the  Senate  and  by  the  House  of  Commons,  and  by  the 
"members  thereof  respectively,  shall  be  such  as  are  from  time  to  time 
"defined  l)y  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  but  so  that  ihe  same 
"shall  never  exceed  those  at  the  passing  of  this  Act,  held,  enjoyed  and 
"exercised  by  the  Commons  House  of  Parliament  of  the  United  King- 
"dom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  by  the  niembers  ihereof." 

And,  whereas  douiits  have  arisen  with  regard  to  the  power  of  drfin- 
ing  by  an  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  in  pursuance  of  the  said 
section,  the  said  privileges,  powers  or  immunities ;  and  it  is  expedient 
to  remove  such  doubts  :  — 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Queen's  .Most  Exctl'ent  Majest\,  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  ot  the  Lords  Spiritual  and  Temporal, 
and  Commons,  in  this  present  Parliament  assembled,  and  by  the  au- 
thority of  the  same,  as  follows :  — 

1.  Section  eighteen  of  the  liritish  North  America  Act,  1867,  is 
hereby  repealed,  without  prejudice  to  anything  done  under  that  Sec- 
tion, and  the  following  section  shall  be  substituted  for  the  Section  so 
repealed : 

The  privileges,  immunities,  and  powers  to  be  held,  enjoyed  and 
exercised  by  the  Senate  and  by  the  ITou;  e  )f  Commons,  and  by  the 
members  thereof  respectively,  sludl  be  -.uc'.  as  are  from  time  to  time 
defined  by  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  but  so  that  any  Act  of  the 
Parliament  of  Canada  defining  ?,uch  privileges,  immunities  and  powers 
shall  not  confer  any  privileges,  immunities  or  powers  exceeding  those 
at  the  passing  of  such  Act  held,  enjoyed  and  exercised  by  the  Commons 
House  of  Parliament  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, and  by  the  members  thereof. 

a.   The  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  passed  in  the  thirty-first 


AiThAD/X  A. 


A7'> 


ers  of  Uu' 
)rtli  Amcr- 


ufy,  1875. 
lerica  Act, 

ijoycd  ami 
md  by  the 
me  to  time 
t  tlic  same 
iij(jycd  and 
liiud  Kiiig- 
■reot." 
•V  ot  dcfin- 
L»f  the  said 
I  expedient 

Vlajest),  by 
Temporal, 
)y  the  un- 
it, 1867,  is 
♦.hat  Sec- 
Section  so 

njoyed  and 
ind  by  the 
ne  to  time 
Act  of  the 
and  powers 
ding  those 
;  Commons 
lin  and  Ire- 
thirty-first 


8 


W 


year  of  the  Reijjn  of  Her  present  Majesty,  Chapter  twenty-four,  in- 
tituled :  **  An  Act  to  provide  for  oaths  to  witnesses  •  heiii;;  .idiniiiistered 
••in  certain  cases  for  the  purposes  of  I'ithor  Mouse  oi  rarliarncut,'"  sliali 
be  deemed  to  lie  valid,  and  to  liav(!  been  valid  as  from  tlic  ilate  at 
which  the  K(.\al  assent  was  given  thereto  by  the  CJoveinor  General  of 
the  lJominioi\  of  Canada. 

3.    This  Act  may  l)e  cited  as  "  tin:  I'ariiament  of  Canada  Act,  1875." 

AlM'KNDIX   C. 

An  Act  respecting  tlie  Representatives  in  tlie  Parliament  of  Canada  of 
Territories  which  for  tlie  time  being  form  pari  of  the  nnmiuion  of 
Canada,  but  are  not  included  in  anv  Province. 

Imperial  Ait. 

■i$th  June,  i88'i 

Whf.keas  it  is  expedient  to  emjjower  the  Parliament  of  Canatla  to 
provide  for  the  representation  in  the  Senate  and  House  of  C(mim(ms 
of  Canada,  or  either  of  them,  of  any  Territory  which  for  the  tinu-  being 
forms  part  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  but  is  luA  included  in  any 
Province. 

Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  (^"cen's  Most  Kxcellent  Majcstv.  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Loids  Spiritual  and  Temporal 
and  Commons  in  this  present  Parliament  assembled,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  same,  as  follows  :  — 

1.  The  Parliament  of  Canada  may  from  time  to  time  make  provision 
for  the  representation  in  the  Senate  and  Mouse  of  Commons  ot  Canada, 
or  in  either  of  them,  of  any  Territories  which  for  the  time  being  form 
part  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  but  are  not  included  in  any  Province 
thereof. 

2.  Any  Act  pa.ssed  by  the  Parliament  of  Canada  before  the  passing 
of  this  Act  for  the  purpose  mentioned  in  this  Act  shall,  if  not  disallowed 
by  the  Queen,  be,  and  shall  be  deemed  to  have  been,  valid  and  effectual 
from  the  date  at  which  it  received  the  assent,  in  Her  Majesty's  name, 
of  the  Governor  General  of  Canada. 

It  is  hereby  declared  that  any  Act  pas.sed  by  the  Parliament  of 
Canada,  whether  before  or  after  the  passing  of  this  Act,  for  the  purpose 
mentioned  in  this  Act  or  in  the  British  North  America  Act,  1871,  has 
etTect,  notwithstanding  anything  in  the  British  North  America  Act, 
1867,  and  the  number  of  Senators  or  the  number  of  members  of  the 


f  I 


I 


?l 


476 


A   niSTOKY   OF  CANADA. 


House  of  Commons  specified  in  the  last  mentioned  Act  is  increased  by 
the  number  of  Senators  or  of  members,  as  the  case  may  be,  provided 
oy  any  such  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada  for  the  representation  o^ 
any  Provinces  or  Territories  of  Canada. 

3.  This  Act  may  be  cited  as  ''The  British  North  America  Act, 
1886." 

This  Act  and  the  British  North  America  Act,  1867,  and  the  British 
North  America  Act.  1871,  shall  be  construed  together  and  may  be 
cited  together  as  "The  British  North  America  Acts,  1867  to  1S86." 


America  Act, 


APPENDIX    B. 


THE    MOST    IMPORTANT    INDIAN    TRIBES    OF   CANADA. 

The  Indian  tribes  which  have  figured  most  prominentiv  in  the  history 
of  Canada  are  to  be  classified  under  two  great  famihes  or  stocks,  the 
Iroquois  and  the  Algonquin.  Of  these  the  most  powerful,  most  aggres- 
sive, most  advanced  in  development  and  in  tribal  organizationrtveie 
members  of  the  Iroquois  family;  while  the  Algonquin  tribes  were  the 
most  numerous  and  most  widely  distributed. 

Algonquin  Stock. 

Those  Indians  occupying  the  eastern  seaboard  of  Canada,  with  whom 
the  early  explorers  came  first  in  contact,  were  of  the  Algonquin  stock. 
In  the  Acadian  peninsula  and  on  the  Gulf  coast  were  the  Micmacs. 
In  the  valley  of  the  St.  John  River  dwelt  the  Melisites  ;  and  to  the  west 
of  these  ruled  the  fierce  and  powerful  tribe  of  the  Abenakis,  occupying 
territory  which  is  now  the  State  of  Maine.  On  the  north  shore  of  the 
Lower  St.  Lawrence  were  the  Montagnais.  From  the  Montagnais 
westward  ex^cnde  i.he  Algonquins  proper,  the  tribe  which  gives  its 
name  to  al'  the  ,,roap.  This  tribe  occupied  most  of  Quebec,  and  a 
large  p.-,  cior  of  Ontario.  It  came  early  under  French  control,  and  was 
peculi';:ly  ra  cbject  of  Iroquois  hostility,  although  it  had  the  firm  alli- 
ance and  '.upport  of  the  Hurons,  a  i)owet<"vil  r--mber  of  the  Iroquois 
group.  7  ne  Ojibways  wfe  a  numerous  t.iuc,  dwelling  in  Ontario. 
The  Shawiees,  who  came  into  Canada  from  th-  south,  and  played  a 
brief  but  brilliant  part  under  the  leadership  of  their  famous  chief, 
Tecumseh,  belonged  to  the  Algon.|uin  stock,  Prominent  iu  our  early 
history,  though  not  dwelling  on  what  is  new  Canadian  soil,  were  the 
great  Algonquin  tribe  of  the  Illinois,  with  'heir  kindred,  the  Sacs  and 

477 


478 


A   HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


ii« 


I 


the  Pottawatomis.  A  numerous  tribe  of  the  same  family  is  that  of  the 
Crecs,  <listributed  over  the  whole  North-west  from  Hudson  Bay  to  the  , 
Rockies.  These  people  were  conspicuous  in  the  Saskatchewan  rebel- 
lion. Along  the  Rockies,  from  the  Saskatchewan  southward,  spread 
the  Blackfeet.  another  influential  branch  of  this  stock.  The  Algonquins, 
in  general,  though  ranking  lower  ihan  the  Iroquois,  stand  high  in  rela- 
tion to  the  other  Indian  families. 

Iroquois  Stock. 

Of  this  family  the  dominant  tribes  were  those  known  as  the  Iroquois, 
or  Five  Nations,  a  confederation  skilfully  organized  and  sagaciously 
conducted.  It  was  not  alone  their  warlike  prowess  —  their  courage, 
swiftness,  and  relentlessness  —  that  made  their  name  a  living  fear  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi.  Their  command  of  the  arts  of  policy 
and  diplomacy  was  no  small  part  of  their  strength.  They  were  far- 
seeing  enough  to  adopt  a  definite  policy,  and  sufficiently  stable  to 
follow  it  out  through  successive  generations.  Their  shrewdness  and 
steadiness  of  purjwse  tinis  enabled  them  for  a  long  time  to  hold  a  sort 
of  balance  of  power  between  the  French  and  English  colonies,  and 
gained  them  a  degree  of  consideration  never  paid  to  any  other  Indians. 
The  five  tribe-  making  up  the  Iro(|uois  Confederacy  were  the  Mohawks, 
occupying  the  Lake  Champlain  legion,  and  extending  eastward  nearly 
to  the  land  of  the  Abenakis ;  the  Oneidas,  lying  immediately  west  of 
the  Mohawks ;  the  Onondagas,  in  the  centre,  holding  the  main  lodge 
and  council  fire  r.f  the  Confederacy;  the  Cayugas,  south  of  the  eastern 
end  of  Lake  Ontario ,  and  the  Senecas,  on  the  western  flank  of  the 
Confed'jrac\,  occupying  the  Niagara  district.  To  this  league  was 
afterwards  added  a  kindred  tribe,  the  Tuscaroras,  which  migrated 
northward  from  North  Carolina;  and  thenceforward  the  Confederacy 
was  known  as  the  Six  Nations.  Immediately  west  cf  the  Senecas  dwelt 
the  Neutral  .Nation,  so  called,  whose  neutrality  did  not  save  them  from 
ultimate  destruction  by  their  all-conquering  kindred.  Another  tribe  of 
this  stock,  the  fierce  Kries,  or  "  Wild  Cats,"  suffered  the  same  fate  as  the 
Neutrals,  when  they  were  so  unhappy  as  to  cross  tlfe  path  and  purposes 
of  the  F^ive  ^Nations.  The  hatjitat  of  tiie  Eries  was  south  of  the  great 
lake  to  which  they  have  left  their  name.  Especially  conspicuous 
throughout  the  earlier  history  of  Canada  was  the  great  tribe  of  the 
Hurons,  or  Wyandots,  occupying  the  fertile  regions  east  and  .south  oi 
Georgian  Bay.     Here  they  had  populous  villages  and  well-tilled  fields  ; 


AlPENDIX  R. 


479 


\. 


and  they  dwelt  in  lirm  alliance  with  the  French  as  well  as  with  the 
neighboring  Algonquin  trihes.  till  the  flame  of  Iroquois  hate  devourefl 
them.  In  courage,  in  organization  and  develoi)nient.  and  in  language, 
they  were  so  like  their  triumphant  kinsfolk  that  these  latter  were  always 
ready  to  adopt  them  into  their  own  tribal  organizations.  Indeed,  the 
avowed  object  of  the  Iroquois  in  one  of  their  most  devastating  wars 
was  to  force  the  Hurons  into  union  with  certain  of  their  tribes,  whose 
ranks  had  become  depleted.  Unlike  most  Indians,  tho.se  of  the  Iro- 
quo's  family  do  not  deteriorate  or  die  out  when  brought  in  contact 
with  civilization.  They  are  almost  as  numerous  at  the  present  day 
as  they  were  when  their  power  was  at  its  height ;  they  can  point  to 
self-supporting  and  prosperous  communities  as  evidence  of  their  capacity 
for  civilization ;  and  individual  members  of  these  communitios  have 
pushed  their  way  to  prominence  in  various  walks  of  modern  life. 

There  are  many  Indian  tribes  in  Canada  which  belong  to  neither  of 
the  above  great  families,  but  few  of  these  have  played  any  notable  part 
in  our  story.  Of  the  great  Dakota  family,  we  have  the  Assiniboines, 
and  those  "Iroquois  of  the  west,"  the  Sioux.  These  latter,  having 
their  home  in  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas.  iiave  at  times  moved  over 
the  border  and  given  concern  to  our  Indian  Department.  The  Assini- 
boines, dweUing  on  the  Assiniboine  and  Saskatchewan  rivers,  are 
second  only  to  the  Crees  in  importance  among  the  tribes  of  our 
North-west. 

To  the  north  of  the  Crees  and  Assiniboines  we  come  upon  a  tribe 
called  the  Chippewyans.  belonging  to  the  Athahascan  stock.  Of 
this  stock  also  are  other  North-west  tribes,  such  as  the  Dog-Ribs, 
Yellow-Knives,  and  Sarsi.  The  most  famous  and  most  f«jrmidable 
member  of  the  Athabascan  stock  is  the  great  Apache  nation,  whose 
implacable  ferocity  is.  fortunately  for  us,  confined  to  a  sphere  far  south 
of  the  Canadian  borders. 


'l 


■! 


INDEX. 


A.  !  Amherst,  Gen^'ral,  143,  144,  145, 161. 

,.,.„.,,  ■  Ancient  colony,  the,  253,  289. 

Abbot.  Sir  John,  premier,  409.  |  Angell,  James  B.  406 

Abenak.s,  the,  67.  I  AnnapoUs  Royal,'  109,"  112,  116,  129. 

Abercromb.e,  General.  138, 145, 146,  T47.    Annexation   of  Canada  propos-d    22^ 
Acadie,  23,  27,  44.46.57,96,104,105,110.  :      439.  f    f     -   .       > 

Acadians,  112.  126.  '  Appropriation  Bill,  218 

Acadian  expulsion,  128,  129;  settlement    Arnold,  Colonel  Benedict  186 


on  Gulf  coast,  179. 

Accom?>!odation,  steamboat,  223 

Act  of  Union,  305. 

"Admirals,  the  Ushing,"  31. 

Agricola,  277. 

Agriculture,  433. 

Ainslie,  General,  287. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  120,  121. 

Albert,  Prince,  341. 

All)erlii,  386. 

Alabavia  claims,  348,  360,  371. 

Alaska,  410. 

Allan  Line,  the.  432. 
Allen,  Colonel  Ethan,  186. 
Alma,  the,  325. 
Alleghanies,  137. 
Alleghany  River,  121. 
Albanel,  Father,  82. 
Algonquin  plot,  41. 
Alexander,  Sir  William.  46. 
America,  discovery  of,  6. 
American  privateers,  193, 
American  plan  of  campaign, 
of  secession,  339;    hostility 
Canadian  federations,  352; 
on  Canadian  fisheries,  360. 
Americans  driven  out  of  Canad 
Amerigo  Vespucci,  6. 
21 


226;  plan 
347;  and 
poaching 


Army  of  the  North,  226;  of  the  Centre, 

227  ;  of  the  West,  227. 
Archibald,  Adams  G.,  279,  342,  366. 
Arthur,  Sir  George,  301. 
Aroostook  War,  314. 
Argall,  Sanmel,  30. 
Art  in  Canada,  427,  428. 
Artists,  Canadian,  427,  428. 
Ashburton,  Lord,  314. 
Associated  Merchants  of  St.  Malo  and 

Rouen,  39. 
Association  of   the  Grand  Council    of 

Plymouth,  46. 
Assiniboine,  113. 
Assiniboia,  256,  257,  330,  386. 
Athabasca  River,  114,  38b. 
Austrian  succession,  115, 
Avalon,  32,  289. 
Ayimer,  Lord,  266. 


8> 


loS. 


Bank  fisheries,  the,  7. 

Haic  des  Chalcurs,  9. 

Bacchus,  Isle  of,  11. 
'  Baltimore,  Lord,  32. 
j  Bay  of  Famine,  8fe. 
I  Batoche,  338,  301,  396. 
481 


482 


INDEX. 


^N 


Battleford,  391,  394. 
Baldoon,  219. 

Baltic  timber  duties  repealed,  283. 
Battle  of  the  fleets  on  Lake  Ontario,  241. 
Hack,  George,  257. 
Baldwin,  Robert,  274,  258,  309. 
Bagot,  Sir  Charles,  309. 
Bayard,  406. 

Banking  system,  Canadian,  434. 
Baring,  Hon.  Mr.,  314. 
Baker's  raid  on  Madawaska,  312. 
Baldwin-Lafontaine,  338. 
}ieauharnois,  Marquis  de,  113. 
Beauharnois  militia,  244;  county,  296. 
Beaus6jour,  Fort,  125,  127. 
Beaubassin,  125. 
Beaujeu,  133. 
Beauport  stream,  jto. 
Beaver  Dam,  24c 
Beorn,  3. 

Bering  Sea  dispute,  409,  410. 
Bell,  Graham,  43-: 
Better  Terms,  359. 
Berlin  Di-crees,  220. 
Biencourt,  28,  47, 
Biard,  Father,  28. 
Bigot,  141,  142. 
Big  Bear.  388,  392. 
Bibaud,  424. 

EJishop  of  Nova  Scotia,  first,  217. 
Bisliopp,  Colonel,  233. 
Bidwell,  Marshall,  274,  298. 
Blake,  Hon.  l""dward,  409. 
Blackfeet,  388. 
Blaine-Bond  Treaty,  415. 
Black  Rock,  241. 
Blaiichard,  Richard,  330. 
Bloody  Bridge,  175. 
Boerstler,  Colonel,  240. 
Bonsecour  Market,  321. 
Bonavista,  106. 
Bond,  Hon.  Robert,  415. 
Boscawen,  Admiral,  143. 
"  Boston  Tea  Party,"  185. 
Boucher,  72. 

Boundary  disputes,  121,  125. 
Boundary  of  Canada,  southern,  193;  be- 
tween Maine  and  Nova  Scotia,  193. 
Bourlamaque,  138,  148,  149. 
Bourinot,  J.  G.,  425. 


Bouquet,  Colonel  Henry,  173. 

Boulton,  Solicitor-General,  274. 

Braddock,  (ieneral,  132,  133,  134. 

Bradstreet,  147,  175. 

Brant,  Joseph,  133,  201. 

Brant,  Molly,  133. 

Brandywine,  190. 

Brandy  duty,  dispute  over  the,  278. 

Br^bceuf,  Father,  41,  60,  65. 

Breda,  Treaty  of,  58. 

British  Columbia,  19,  330,  331,  332,  334, 

368,369,378,411. 
British  troops  and  Coloni.al  militia,  184. 
British  North  America  Act,  345,  350. 
British  North  American  League,  319. 
Brock,  General  Sir  Isaac,  223,  227,  230, 

232. 
Brockville,  raid  on,  236. 
Broke,  Captain,  246. 
Brownstown,  228. 
Brown,  Stowell,  293. 
Brown,  George,  337,  341,  343,  344. 
Brown-Dorion  government,  338. 
Burrard  Inlet,  401. 
Bushy  Run,  V75. 
Hush  land,  3. 
Hunker  Hill,  186. 
Burgoyne,  General,  190. 
Burlington  Heights,  239. 
Buffalo  burned,  246. 
Burton,  Sir  Francis,  264. 
Byron,  (l^ommodore,  179. 
By  town,  258. 

c. 

Canada,  2,  18,44,  162,258,437,438;  and 
Acadia,  51;  and  New  England,  67; 
invaded,  185  ;  new  constitution  of,  307  ; 
consritution  of,  350;  confederated,  354; 
purchases  North-west,  361 ;  at  the  Cen- 
tennial, 379;  "for  the  Canadians,"  379 ; 
Upper  and  Lower,  210;  Upper,  popu- 
lation of,  2x1,  269,  297;  Lower,  221, 
261,  291,  296;  population  of,  in  1812, 
226 ;  population  of,  165  ;  Lower,  popu- 
lation of,  21 1 ;  Lower,  first  Parliament, 
213 ;  differences  in  institutions  of  Up- 
per and  Lower,  211. 

Canada  Company,  the,  258. 

Canada-Pacific,  the,  373. 


t 


INDEX. 


4«3 


330.  331.  332.  334. 


•: 


Canada  Trade  Act,  264. 
Canada  Cornmitioe,  the.  j6=;. 

Canadas,  schi-mc  (or  uniting  the,  264; 
united,  305  ;  coa'iticn  in  the,  341. 

Canadian  history,  1,  2;  public  school 
system,  419,  420 ;  univc  rsitie',,  420,  421 ; 
squadron  in  Ontario,  215;  'lewspaper, 
the,  222 ;  Reign  of  Terror,  222 ;  brigs 
captured  on  Lake  Erie,  229. 

Canadian  Fencibles,  235. 

Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  400,  401,  402. 

Canadian,  the,  432. 

Canadians  in  Egypt,  403. 

Cabots,  the,  6,  7. 

Cartier,  jaques,  8,  9,  10,  12,  14,  15. 

Cartier,  Sir  George,  337,  343,  344,  375. 

Cartier-Macdonald  government,  338. 

Caron,  P'ather  le,  36. 

Carhagouha,  38. 

Carignan-SaliC-res,  regiment  of,  78. 

Carbonear,  106. 

*"■  Ifton,  Sir  Guv,  187,  191,  197,  209. 

C      leton,  389. 

Caileton,  Colonel  Thomas,  199,  209,  218. 

'"aroline,  destruction  of  the,  300. 

;  -arter,  F.  B.  S.,  344. 

"arnarvon  Terms,  378. 

Casco  Bay,  99. 

Casgrain,  Abb6,  424. 

Casual  and  territorial  revenue,  213,  263 
266. 

Castine  fund,  251. 

Catholic  and  Huguenot,  40. 

Cape  Breton,  48,  loi,  iii,  145,  199,  286, 

287. 
Cap  Rouge,  151,  154. 
Cape  Diamond,  157. 
Calli^res,  97,  107. 
Cataracoui,  82,  85,  87. 
Canso,  112. 
Calgary,  393. 
Canals,  430,  431. 
Cable,  435. 
Cahokia,  176. 

Campaign  of  1813,  235  ;  of  1814,  248. 
Caldwell,  Sir  John,  264. 
Campbell,  General  Sir  Archibald,  284. 
Campbell,  Sir  Colin,  315,316. 
Campbell,  Sir  Alexander,  344,  406. 
Canghnawaga,  297. 


Cathcart,  Lord,  310. 

Cabinet  or  executive,  351. 

Censitaires,  the,  75. 

Celoron  de  Bienville,  121. 

Cedars,  th(>,  189. 

Charlesbourg  Royal,  16. 

Chaniplain,  22,  23,  24,  34,  35,  36,  37,  38, 

3Q.  40,  43.  44.  45.  423. 
Chaniplain,  Lake,  138,  145. 
ChastL-.s,  Aymar  de,  22. 
Chaudi.Jre,  36. 
Charnisay,  Seigneur  d'Aulnay,  51,  52,  53, 

54.  55.56. 
CliH'mionat,  Father,  68. 
Chanibly,  Fort,  79., 
Chamberlain,  Hon.  Jos.,  406. 
Chauveau,  F.  J.  O.,  426,  427. 
Chapais,  j.  C.  344. 
Chauncey,  Commodore,  237. 
Chateauguay,  244. 
Charlottetoun  conference,  342. 
Charlottetown,  180. 
Chandler,  Edward,  344. 
Chandler,  Senator,  360. 
Chateau  St.  I,oui=  344. 
Chignecto,  95,  121. 
Chignecto  Ship  Railway,  429. 
Chehucto  Bay,  119,  123. 
Christie,  Robert,  425. 
Charlevoix,  423. 
Charleston,  191. 
Chippewa,  233,  239,  248. 
Chrysler's  Farm,  245. 
Cholera  years,  the,  259. 
Chenier,  Doctor,  294. 
Chinook,  362. 
Chicago  fire,  the,  372. 
Civil  list,  262. 

City  of  Boston,  loss  of,  366. 
Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  191. 
Clark,  Colonel,  241. 
Clergy  Reserves,  the,  270,  323. 
Clermont,  the,  432. 
Coluiiibi;s,  4,  5,  6. 
Columbia,  the,  256. 
Cortereal,  8. 

Convicts  on  Sable  Island,  20. 
Conception  Bay  Colony,  31. 
Colbert,  72,  76. 
Coureurs  des  Bois,  78. 


484 


INDEX, 


I 


/   . 


Come,  Le,  125. 

Cornwallis,  Hon.  Edward,  123, 191. 

COte,  Stc.  Genevieve,  158. 

County  of  Sunbury,  180. 

Colonies,  the,  182. 

Colonial  Advocate,  272 ;  grievances,  183 ; 

oft'ice,  the,  265,  275;   conference,  411, 

412. 
Continental  Congress,  185,  186. 
Cowpens,  191. 
Constitutional  act,  210,  213. 
Confederation,  209, 262, 304, 319, 325, 329, 

335.  337.  355- 
College,  University  ^^i  King's,  217. 
Constitution,  the,  234. 
Cochran,  Admiral,  251. 
Cook,  Captain,  255. 
Coppermine  River,  257. 
Commission  of  Inquiry,  268. 
Colborne,  Sir  John,  296. 
Conservative,  308. 
Colebrook,  Sir  William,  317. 
Corn  Laws  repealed,  322. 
Cockburn,  J.,  344. 
Coal  royalties,  the,  286. 
Coles,  G.,  344. 
Coalition  of  the  parties,  355. 
Columbian  Exposition,  411. 
Conditions  of  life  in  a  new  land,  417. 
Crownc,  William,  58. 
Crown  Point,  113,  133,  186,  189. 
Crown  lands,  213. 
Cr6mazie,  Octave,  425. 
Crees,  388. 
Crow-foot,  388. 
Crozicr,  Captain,  390. 
Craigellachie,  401. 
Craig,  Sir  James,  221. 
Crimea  War,  323,  324. 
Cutler,  Lyman,  333. 
Cutknife  Creek,  395. 
Cunard  Line,  432. 
Cunard,  Samuel,  432. 
Currency,  Canadian,  434. 


D. 


Dalhousie  College,  251,  277. 
Dalhousie,  Earl  of,  263. 
D'Anville,  119. 


Daniel,  Captain,  48. 

Daniel,  Father,  60,  65. 

Daly,  309. 

Dablon,  Father,  68. 

Day,  judge,  377. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  339. 

D'Ailleboust,  67. 

D'Aiguiilon,  Duchesse,  60. 

Dartmouth,  123,  124. 

Daulac,  70. 

Dawson,  Sir  William,  421. 

D'Aulna3'  Cliarnisay,  51,  56. 

D'Avaugour,  71. 

Davoust,  60. 

De  Bienville,  121. 

De  Bougamville,  138,  146,  149. 

De  Bourlamaciuc,  138,  148. 

De  Bullion,  Madame,  02, 

De  Cuen,  40,  41,  44. 

De  Cril!i(':res.  89, 

De  Cond6,  39. 

De  Courcelles,  7S,  79,  82. 

De  Druco.ir,  143,  144,  145. 

De  Denonville,  89,  91,  97. 

De  Gourgties,  18. 

De  Gamacho,  59. 

De  Gaspe.  425. 

De  Guercheville,  Madame,  28,  30. 

De  Haro  Channel,  332. 

De  Haren.  240. 

Dc  Hertel,  Colonel,  296. 

De  Lauson,  6S. 

De  L6ry,  8. 

De  Levis,  138,  146,  159,  160,  161. 

De  la  Galissonniere,  121. 

De  la  Peltrie,  Madame,  60. 

De  la  Jonquiere,  119,  120,  122. 

De  la  Noue.  I-ather,  41. 

De  la  Verendrye,  113. 

De  la  Roche,  20. 

De  Maisonneuve,  62. 

T^e  Mesy,  74,  78. 

De  Mille,  425. 

De  Monts,  22,  23,  34. 

De  Montmagny,  59,  62. 

De  Queylus,  Abb6,  69. 

De  Ramesay,  150,  160. 

De  Razilly,  51. 

De  Roquemont,  43. 

De  Rottenburg,  241. 


INDEX. 


48s 


Dc  Roberval,  15. 

Df  Silleri,  60. 

Dc  Sal.iberry,  235,  244. 

De  Tracy,  78. 

De  Troyes,  90. 

De  Ventadour,  41. 

Dearborn,  General,  227,  236. 

Delfosse,  381. 

Denis  of  Honlleur,  8. 

Denys,  Nicholas,  51,  56,  57. 

Denison,  403. 

D'Estournelle,  119. 

Desbarres,  200. 

Detroit,  11 1,  165,  173,  228. 

D'Ibervilie,  90,  104. 

Dickie,  R.  15.,  344. 

Dieskau,  132,  135. 

Dinwiddie,  131. 

Disputed  territory,  283,  311. 

Donnacona,  11,  14. 

DoUard,  69,  70. 

Dongan,  86,  89. 

Dominion  Day,  353. 

Dominion  flections,  first,  357 ;  parlia- 
ment, tiiM,  357. 

Dominion  census,  first,  372 ;  second,  383  ; 
third,  407. 

Dorchester,  Lord,  209,  216. 

Downie,  Captain,  250. 

Downing  Street,  266. 

Douglas,  Sir  Howard,  281,  284 ;  James, 
330- 

Doyle,  Lawrence  O'Connor,  279. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  19. 

Draper,  310. 

Drew.  I^ieutenant,  300. 

Drummond,  Sir  George,  246. 

Druinmondville,  249. 

Dress  in  old  l-'rench  Canada,  i68. 

Druilettes,  Father,  67. 

Dupuy,  68. 

Du  Vivier,  116. 

Duquesne,  122,  130. 

Duchambon,  117. 

Dumont,  72 ;  Gabriel,  389,  399. 

Duck  Lake,  389. 

Duvar,  John  Hunter,  426. 

Duchesneau,  84, 

Duluth,  90. 

Dundas  Street,  214. 


Durham,  Lord,  296,  303. 
Durham's  Report,  306. 
Dual  representation,  357. 
Dufterin,  Lord,  373,  38a. 

E. 

Earthquakes,  72,  320. 

Easier  pasty,  172. 

Eastern  Townships,  201. 

Iii\£^lc  and  Crowler,  243. 

Edge  Hill,  175. 

Education  in  Canada,  418,  419,  420,  421. 

Elgin,  Lord,  310,  320. 

Embargo  Act,  220. 

English  anil  French  colonies  compared 
141. 

England    attacked    by    France,    Spain, 

Holland,  190. 
Equal  Rights  Agitation,  407. 
Eric  the  Red,  3. 
Eries,  extirpation  of  the,  67. 
Estates,  subdivision  of,  76. 
Esquimau,  400. 
Everlasting  Salaries  Bill,  274. 
Executive  Council,  212. 
I  Exploits,  river,  413. 

F. 

Fafard,  Father,  392. 

Faillon,  Abb6,  424. 

Family  Compact,  the,  260,  269,  277,  306. 

Fairfield,  Governor,  313. 

Falkland,  Lord,  316. 

Ferryland,  32. 

Feudal  tenure,  75. 

Ferland,  Abbe,  424. 

Fenians,  the,  349,  358. 

Federal  and  legislative  union,  difference 

between,  352. 
Five  Nations,  77. 

Fitzgibbon,  Lieutenant  James,  239. 
Finisterre,  battle  of,  120. 
Fisheries  dispute,  405,  433. 
Fish  Creek,  battle  of,  394. 
Fisher,  Charles,  344. 
"  Fifty-four  Forty,  or  Fight,"  331. 
Fl^che,  Father  la,  27. 
Fleming,  Sanford,  406,  422. 


i 


486 


INDEX. 


Food,  French  Period,  171. 

Forbes,  General,  147. 

Fori  Heaus6joiir,  125,  127,  129;  Chippe- 
wyan,  114,  a5S ;  Cumberland,  19a; 
I)uiiuehne,  131,  147;  Douglas,  256; 
Erie,  248 ;  Edward,  135,  139 ;  Fred- 
ericlc,  179,  193;  Frontenac,  147;  Garry, 
257.  363;  George.  135;  Louis,  47: 
Niagara,  149;  Oswego,  138;  I'ltt,  147 
175.  391,  392;  Reliance,  257;  Rouge, 
113;  Schlosser,  241,  300;  St.  Charles, 
113;  St;  Joseph,  200;  William  Henry, 
136, 140;  William,  256;  Venango,  121. 

Forsyth,  the  case  of,  273. 

I'Yaser  River,  331,  369. 

Franklin's  map,  315. 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  257. 

French,  colony  in  Florida,  18;  fisheries 
question,  96;  shore  disputes,  163,412, 

415. 
French    Canadians,  after  the  conquest, 
164;     attitude    toward  the  Rebellion, 

295- 
Frenchtown,  battle  of,  236. 
Frechette,  425. 
Fredericton,  180,  200. 
Frobisher,  19. 
Frog  Lake  Massacre,  392. 
Frolic,  the,  234. 
Frontpn-c,  24.  87,  94,  97,  103, 
F'ica,  Straits  of,  332. 
Fur-trade,  77. 

Gabarus  Bay,  117,  143. 

Gage,  General,  185. 

Gait,  John,  259 ;  Alexander  T.,  337,  343. 

344,  381- 
Gander  River,  413. 
Ciarneau,  Fran9ois  Xavier,  424. 
Cieneva  Award,  the,  371, 
Geological  Survey,  the,  421. 
Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  ig,  20. 
Glen,  98. 

Giadwyn,  Major,  174. 
Glengarry,  Highlanders,  235 ;  militia,  292. 
Glenelg,  Lord,  286. 
Goodridge,  416. 
Governor  and  executive,  212. 
Governor's  Road,  214. 


Governor-General,  the,  351. 

Gosford,  Lord,  268,  292,  2«./j. 

Gore,  Colonel,  293. 

Gore,  Fighting  militia  of  the,  299. 

Gourlay,  Robert,  2/1. 

Gowan,  Judge,  377. 

tirass,  200. 

Grand  Pr6,  95,  120, 129. 

Gray,  Colonel  John  Hamilton,  343,  344. 

Gray,  Judge  John  Hamilton,  344. 

Greenland  Colony,  3,  4. 

Cireen  liay  Mission,  82,  85. 

Great  Meadows,  132. 

Great  Fish  River,  257. 

Grit,  356. 

Griffm,  the,  85. 

Guy,  John,  31. 

Guerriire,  the,  234. 


H. 


Harold  Harfager,  3. 

Haverhill,  massacie  of,  108. 

Handheld,  Major,  129. 

Halifax,  123,  149. 

"  Halifax  Currency,"  434. 

Halifax  fisheries  award,  381. 

Habitans,  the,  167,  168. 

Half-breeds,  the,  38e),  387. 

Haliburton,  423,  424. 

Hall's  Bay,  413. 

Haldimand,  Governor,  192, 198,  208. 

Harrison,  General,  236. 

Harvey,  Sir  John,  239,  245,  286,  313, 316, 

328.  333- 
Hampton,  General  Wade,  244. 
Handcock,  Major,  248. 
Haviland,  Colonel,  161 
Haviland,  T.  H.,  344, 
H6bert,  Louis,  40. 
Hubert  (sculptor),  427. 
Heavysege,  Charles,  426. 
Henry,  Captain  John,  224. 
Henry,  W.  A.,  344. 

Head,  Sir  Francis  Bond,  276,  298,  301. 
Hill,  Sir  John,  109. 
Hickory  Island,  301. 
Hincks,  Sir  Francis,  309,  337. 
High  Commission  meets  at  Washington, 

370. 


INDEX. 


487 


35  J. 

396. 

f  the,  399. 


[nilton,  343,  344. 
iiton,  344. 

8S- 


:o8, 

381. 

u  ,..'■'•- 

92,  198,  208. 
JS.  286,  313, 316, 
s,  244. 


276,  298,  301, 


337- 

at  Washington, 


Hochclaga,  la. 

Hfttel  Dieu,  60. 

llowf,  Captain,  195. 

Howf,  Lord,  146,  190. 

Howe,  Josepli,  278,316,348.360,375,423, 

Howe's  litiei  case,  278. 

Holborne,  Ailniiml,  139. 

Howard,  Captain,  396. 

Holland,  190. 

Hornet,  the,  234. 

House  of  Assembly,  213. 

House  of  Commons,  351. 

Hudson,  Henry,  32, 

Hudson  Bay  territory,  110. 

Hudson  Bay  and  Northwest  Companies' 

rivalry,  254. 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  358,  361. 
Huntington,  L.  S.,  375. 
Hunters'  Lodges,  296,  302. 
Hurons,  the,  65,  66,  173. 
Hutchinson,  Governor,  196. 
Hungry  Year,  the,  204. 
Hull,  General,  227. 

\. 

lie  au  Noix,  189;  d'0rl6ans,  151;  St. 
Jean,  180. 

Illinois  River,  82.  85. 

Imperial  conference,  406. 

Imperial  federation,  373,  440. 

Immigrants,  American,  270. 

Independence,  Declaration  of  American, 
189 ;  American,  acknowledged  by  Eng- 
land, 191 ;  Canadian,  440. 

Inheritance,  I^w  of,  75. 

Industries,  434. 

Intellectual  progress,  417. 

Interprovincial  conference,  406. 

Inglis,  Doctor  John,  217, 

Inter-Oceanic  Company,  373. 

Iroquois  attacks,  41,  63,  67,  70,  87,  92; 
treaty  with  the  English,  67;  loyalists, 
189. 

"  Iroquois  Track,"  the,  64. 

Izzard,  General,  244. 

J- 

Jackson.  Andrew,  25a. 
yava,  the.  234. 


Jenkins,  Captain.  237. 

Jersey,  Earl  of,  412. 

Jesuits,  the,  28,  29,  41. 

Jesuitex,  fi^latiom  des,  59. 

Jesuit  missions  to  Hurons,  60;  to  Iro- 
quois, 68,  79. 

Jesuits'  Estates  Act,  407, 

logues.  Father,  64. 

joliiet,  81. 

Johnson,  Sir  William.  133,  135,  136,  149, 
175.  189. 

Johnson.  John  M.,  344. 

Johnston ;,  James  W.,  316. 

K. 

Kavanagh,  Lawrence,  287. 

Kane,  Paul,  427. 

Kars,  325. 

Keelness,  4. 

Kcewafin,  385. 

Kempt,  Sir  James,  266,  278. 

Kent.  Duke  of,  216.    ^ 

Keliog,  K.  H..  jSi. 

Kingston,  215.  307. 

Kirby,  William,  42";. 

Kingsford.  Doctor,  425. 

Kirke,  Admiral,  ,^3,  48. 

Knight-Baniicis  oi  Nova  Scotia,  47. 

Kolapore  Cup,  373. 

Kondiaronk,  y2. 


La  Barre,  87. 

La  Chesnave.  102. 

La  Colle  Mill,  248. 

La  Moth  Cadillac,  in. 

La  Hfive,  51. 

La  Salle,  84,  86. 

La  Tour,  Claude  de,  47,  49,  52. 

La  Tour,  Charles  de,  31,  47,  49,  51,  58. 

Lacliine.  85,  93. 

Laleman,  Father         ( .  . 

Lake  Region,  the,  iii,  209. 

Lake  of  the  Woods,  113.  , 

Lake  Champiain,  189. 

Lake  Erie,  battle  of,  242. 

Land,  sale  r.nd  purchase  of,  177. 

Land  Purchase  Bill,  326. 

Lafontaine,  309. 


488 


INDEX. 


\  \ 


Langovin,  Sir  Hector,  344. 

Law,  l-'rencli,  176. 

Lauricr,  lion.  Wilfred,  409. 

Laval,  69,  71,  74,  78. 

Lawri-nce,  Fort,  135. 

Lawrence,  Major,  136. 

Le  Horgnc,  57. 

Le  Loutre,  Abl)e,  124. 

Lc  jeune,  Katlier,  59. 

Lc  May,  I'aiiipliile,  425. 

Leif  the  Luc'iiy,  3. 

"  Leifs  Booths."  3. 

Legislative  Assembly  at  Halifax,  first  in 

Canada,  147. 
Legislative  (jouncil,  aia. 
Lennox,  214, 
Lepine,  378. 

Lescarbot,  Marc,  25,  423. 
leopard,  I  he,  and  the  Chesapeake,  V2D. 
Lrwiston  burned,  'J46. 
Lexington,  185. 
1-iberal  convention,  410. 
Lightliousr  Point,  118. 
Lincoln,  At)rahani,  339. 
Liquor  tratFic,  71,  95. 
Literature,  (Janadian,  422. 
Lods  et  I  'rnt.s,  177. 
Logan,  Sir  William,  421. 
London,  215. 
Long  Island,  189. 
Lome,  Lord,  426. 

Louisburg,  iii,  iiS,  120,  1^9,  144,  145. 
Louisiana,  86,  106. 
I^oudoun,  Larl  ot,  138. 
Lount,  Samuel,  399,  301, 
Loyalists,  the,  194,  198,  200,  202. 
Loyal  and   Patriotic  Society  of  Upper 

Canada,  235. 
Lundy's  Lane,  249. 
Lunenburg,  124. 

Machias,  52,  193. 

Masse,  Father  Enemond,  28,  41. 

Marguerie,  61. 

Mance,  Mademoiselle,  62. 

Marquette,  Father,  81,  82. 

Manitoba,  Lake,  114. 

Manitoba  Act,  the,  365. 


Manners  and  customs  (French  Period), 

167,  168. 
Marchand,  Father,  393. 
Macdonald,  Sir  John  A.,  337,  343,  373, 

408  ;  government,  376,  38a,  407. 
Macdonald,  A.  A.,  344. 
Macdonell,  Colonel,  237. 
Material  progress  m  Canada,  438,  439, 

430.  431.  433,  433,  434,  435.  436,  437. 
Marmette,  Iosc|)h,  425. 
Mair,  Charles,  336,  43b. 
Mackenzie,  Hon.  Alexander,  377,  408. 
Mackenzie.  .Alexander,  354. 
Mackenzie,  Wm.  Lyon,  273,  274,  297. 
Mackenzie  River,  the,  257,  361. 
Mackinaw,  227. 
Maiednma,  the,  234, 
MacNab,  Sir  Allen,  2<)9,  300,  310. 
MacNab-Morin  (jovernnient,  338. 
Maine,  '■astern  districts  seized,  251. 
Maine  uoundary  question,  311. 
Maritime  provinces,  the,  317,  347;  union, 

338,  34a. 
Maiigerville,  180,  192,  198. 
iVJarriage,  177. 

March  of  104111  Regiment,  235. 
Mathews,  301  ;  Captain,  273. 
Maitland,  Governor,  273.  ' 

Mars  Hill,  312. 
Mason  and  Slidell,  3.(0. 
Mc(iee,  T.  D'Arcy,  343,  3-W.358. 
McDougall,  Hon.  William,  343,  344,  358, 

363- 
Mc(ailly,  |.,  344. 
Mclntyre,  land  agent,  313. 
McLachlan,  Alexander,  426. 
Mcnibertou,  25,  27,  29. 
Mennonites,  the,  385. 
M6tis,  the,  363,  387.      ■ 
Merritt,  W.  H.,  430. 
Meares,  Captain,  255. 
Metcalf,  Sir  Charles,  309. 
Mitchell,  Peter,  344. 
Missions  to  the  Hurons,  61. 
Mission,  Green  Bay,  82. 
Mississippi,  the,  81,  86. 
Mistassinni,  Lake,  82. 
Miquelon,  island  of,  163. 
Middleton,  General,  391,  394. 
Midlanders,  the,  394.  » 


V 


INDEX. 


4«9 


us  (French  Period), 


Michilimackinac,  173,    ^8,  250. 

"  Minute  Men,"  i86. 

Michigan  Tenitory,  227. 

Miramiciii  fire,  the,  aHi. 

Militia  hill,  the,  341. 

Military  system,  435,  436. 

Mines,  433. 

Mount  Royal,  13. 

Montreal,  62.  63,  163.  166,  310. 

Montagnais,  the,  60. 

Moyne,  Father  le,  68,  69. 

Mohawits,  the,  79,  136,  aoi. 

Mowat,  Sir  Ohver,  344,  410. 

Monck,  Lord,  355,  357. 

Monk,  Juclye,  261. 

Monckfon,  General,  126,  129,  151,  159. 

Mortgagf,  177. 

Montgomery,  General,  186,  188. 

Moravian  town,  226,  243. 

Morrison,  Colonel,  245. 

Montgomery's  Tavern,  299. 

Moodie,  Colonel,  299. 

Montcalm,  138,  139,  143,  150,  157,  158. 

Montmorenci,  151. 

Monument  to  Wolfe  and  Montcalm,  159, 

Munro,  Colonel,  139. 

Munro  doctrine,  the,  439. 

Murray,  General,  129,  151, 160. 

Municipal  institutions,  308. 

Musgrave,  Antony,  368. 

'  N. 

Nashwaak,  Fort,  105 ;  River,  180. 

Nassau,  214. 

Naval  duels  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States,  233, 

Napierville,  297. 

Navy  Island,  300. 

Navigation  laws  repealed,  322. 

National  policy,  379,  382. 

Newfoundland,  7,  14,  31,  32,  95.  96, 106, 
no,  162,  288,  289,  360,  412,  416. 

Newfoundland  amalgamated  assembly, 
328. 

New  York,  32,  77. 

New  Company  of  the  Hundred  Asso- 
ciates, the,  42. 

New  Amsterdam,  77. 

New  subjects,  176. 


New  Mrunswick,  179,  uyc,,  318,  281 ;  Uni- 
versity or,  381;  school  law  dispute, 
372. 

Newark,  214,  230,  346. 

New  Orleans.  351. 

New  nation,  ilw,  256. 

New  Caledonia,  331. 

New  Westminster,  333. 

Ncpiscaw  River,  82. 

Necessity.  Fort,  132. 

Nelson,  Doctor  Wolfred,  265,  292,293; 
Robert,  21)7. 

Niagara,  Fort,  91,  113,  149,  1-3,  148. 

Niagiira,  ai4,  215;  truiiiier,  the,  339,  246. 

Nicholson,  Colonel,  109. 

Nin«ly-four  resolutions,  the,  367. 

Northmen,  the,  2,  4. 

Noirni,  Father,  41. 

North  Amerif  a  granted  to  Madame  de 
Guercheville,  29. 

North-west,  the,  113,  254,  329,  358,  361, 
M,  385.  386,  411;  mounted  pohce, 
3*^5.  43'j;  '-ampaign,  the,  391. 

Northcote,  394,  396. 

Nor'-westers,  255. 

Noolka,  255. 

Nova  Scotia,  46,  121,  123,  179,  276,  359, 
404. 

Notre  Dame  de  Montreal,  Society  of,  62, 
69. 

Noble,  Colonel,  119. 

Nma  Scotian,  the,  278. 

O. 
O'Brien,  427. 
Odelltown,  244,  297. 
O'Donnell,  Bishop,  289. 
Ogdensburg,  236. 
Ohio  valley,   121,   130,  193;    Company, 

131- 
Ojibways,  388. 
Old  subjects,  176. 

"  One  Hundred  Associates,"  59,  72. 
Onondagas,  67,  68. 
Ontario  and  Quebec,  371. 
"  Order  of  a  Good  Time,"  26. 
Oregon,  the,  256. 
Orders-in-Council,  220. 
Oswego  River,  69 ;  Fort,  113. 
Oswego,  248. 


490 


INDEX. 


I 


if 


Ottawas,  173. 
Ottawa,  258. 
Ouinipon,  Lake,  113. 


Paris,  Treaty  of,  162. 

Patterson,  Colonel  Walter,  181. 

Parr,  Governor,  198. 

Parrtown,  198, 

Papineau,  Louis,  263,  267,  292. 

Pakcnham,  251. 

Palmer,  E.,  344. 

Parliament  buildings  burned,  321. 

Parliament  removed  to  Ottawa,  320. 

Parker,  Captain,  325. 

Pacific  scandal,  the,  375. 

Penobscot,  47,  49,  95. 

Perrot,  Nicholas,  81,  90. 

Peniaquid,  105. 

Peace  River,  114,  369. 

Pepperell,  William,  116,  117,  118,  119. 

Pennsylvania,  121,  138. 

Peel,  Paul,  428. 

Petite  Rochelle,  179. 

Peacock,  the,  234. 

Perry,  (Jommodore,  242. 

Penetanguishene,  256. 

Perth  settlement,  258. 

Permanent  Revenue  Act  of  1774,  263. 

Pelee  Island,  fight  at,  301. 

Peel,  Sir  Robert,  309. 

Phips,  Sir  William,  100,  102. 

Pilgrim  fathers,  the,  42. 

Piziquid,  129. 

Pitt,  William,  140,  142,  184. 

Pittsburg,  147. 

Pictou,  180. 

Pickett,  Captain,  333. 

Plains  of  Abraham,  154,  157,  187. 

Plessis,  M.,  221. 

Plattsburg,  236. 

Placentia,  96. 

Pontgrave,  21,  22,  34. 

Poutrincourt,  23,  31. 

Port  Royal,  24,  25,  27,  30,  31,  48,  53,  108, 

109, 
Point  Ldvi,  152. 
Pound  maker,  389,  391,  396. 
Port  Vfoody,  401. 


Port  la  Joie,  '80. 

I'ort  Ra/.oir,  199. 

''Poor  Man's  Society,"  277. 

Posial  system,  Canadian,  434. 

Poiette,  Judge,  376. 

Pontiac,  173. 

Pope,  W.  H.,  344. 

Prince  Edward  Island,  112,  145,  179,  180, 

181,  217,  287,  374;   land  question  in, 

288,  325,  327. 
Prince  Albert,  388,  389,  391. 
Prideaux,  General,  148. 
Presqu'ile,  173. 
Prince  Arthur,  360. 
Prince  of  Wales,  339. 
Prince,  Colonel,  303. 
Prevost,  Sir  George,  222. 
Proctor,  Colonel,  228. 
Provisional  government,  298,  363. 
Paget  Sound,  332. 
Purdy,  Colonel,  244. 
Putnam,  W.  L.,  406. 

Q. 

Quebec,  42,  43,  59,  71,78,  150,  151,  159, 

160,  161,  165. 
Quebec  Act,  the,  176,  178,  185. 
Quebec  Resolutions,  345. 
Qu'Appelle,  391. 

Queen's  Rangers  of  Virginia,  198,  214. 
Queension  Heights,  230. 
Quincy,  252. 

R. 

Razilly,  Isaac  de,  51,  52. 

Ramesay,  de,  150,  159. 

Railway,  Intercolonial,  322, 380;  between 
Montreal  and  Portland,  322  ;  conven- 
tion at  Portland,  323  ;  European  and 
North  American,  323,  372;  Grand 
Trunk,  323 ;  Transcontinental,  373 ; 
Canadian  Pacific  syndicate,  383. 

Railways,  42B. 

Recollets,  37,  59,  80. 

Religious  institutions,  60. 

Rd'my.  I'ort,  94. 

Red  River,  113,  219,  361,  363,  364. 

Restigouche,  179. 


INDEX. 


491 


Reads,  John,  426. 

Reid,  George,  427. 

Responsible  Government,  2c8,  218,  260, 
307,  3U,  315,  317,  318,  326,  329. 

Red  River  Colony,  256. 

Reform  Party,  274. 

Reformers,  Declaration  of  the,  298,  307. 

Reformer  and  Conservative,  308. 

Rebellion  Losses  Bill,  319,  320. 

Redan,  the,  325. 

Representation  by  population,  330. 

Rideau  Canal,  258. 

Richelieu,  42,  48. 

Richelieu  River,  165. 

Riel,  Louis,  363,  377,  386,  387,  388,  389, 
390,  391.  392.  39i.  i94.  395.  396,  397, 
398,  399- 

Riall,  General,  248. 

Right  of  Search.  219. 

Ridgeway,  349. 

Roberval,  de,  15,  16. 

Roche,  de  la,  20. 

Rochelle,  62. 

Roland,  Fort,  94. 

Rocky  Mountains,  114. 

Royal  Society  of  Canada,  426,  427. 

Royal  Canadian  Academy,  427. 

Royal  Canadian  One  Hundredth  regi- 
ment, 324. 

Royal  Commission  of  Inquiry,  291. 

Royal  Newfoundland  regiment,  288. 

Royal  Nova  Scotia  regiment,  217. 

Royal  Military  College,  436. 

Royal  William,  the,  432. 

Royal  Greens,  201. 

RochamL  au,  191. 

Roberts,  Captain,  228. 

Ross,  251. 

Robinson,  John  Beverley,  272,  437. 

Rosario  Channel,  332. 

Russell,  Lord,  291. 

Ryswick,  103,  104,  106. 

Ryerson,  Edgerton,  247,  298,  420. 


Sable  Island,  8. 
Sackett's  Harbour,   232,  238. 
Saguenay,  the,  11. 
Salmon  Falls,  99. 


Sangster,  Charles,  426. 

San  Juan,  332. 

Sandwich,  tight  at,  302. 

Saratoga,  190. 

Saskatchewan,  114,  361,  385;    rebellion, 

384,  386,  388.  . 
Schenectady,  98. 
Science  in  Canada,  421. 
Scotch  in  Acadie,  46;   in  Cape  Breton 

and  P.  E,  I.,  219. 
Scott,  Winfield,  231,  314,  333. 
Scott,  Thomas,  murdered  by  Riel,  364. 
Secord,  Laura,  240. 
Seigneurs,  the,  75. 
Seigneurial  tenure  abolished,  324. 
Selwyn,  Doctor,  421. 
Selkirk,  219,  256. 
Selkirk  estate,  the,  327. 
Senate,  the,  351. 
Seneeas,  the,  83,  91,  173. 
Semple,  Cioveri\or,  256. 
Seven  Ycarr,"  W:ir,  182. 
Seventy-two  Resolutions,  the,  345. 
Separate  schools.  4.;o. 
Sewell,  Chief  justice,  261. 
Shea,  Sir  Ambrose,  344. 
Shannon,  the,  and  the  Chesapeake,  246. 
Shawnees,  tlic,  173. 
Shelburne,  199. 
Sheaffe,  (ieneral,  231. 
Sherbrooke,  251. 
Shirley,  Governor,  n6,  126,  133. 
Ship  Hector  at  Pictou,  219.  * 

Shipping,  431. 
Shubenacadie  Canal,  278. 
Simcoe,  Governor,  214,  216. 
Simcoe,  schooner,  the,  232. 
Simpson,  Sir  George,  257,  330. 
Smith,  Charles  Douglas,  288.  ,^ 

Smith,  Albert  J.,  345. 
Smith,  Sir  Donald,  401. 
Smith,  Goldwin,  425. 
Smythe,  Tracey,  281. 
Soccage,  free  and  common,  176. 
Social  life  in  New  France,  170. 
Sorel,  78. 

Sons  of  Liberty,  292. 
Soto,  de,  17. 

Sovereign  Council,  the,  74.    ; 
States- Rights  doctrine,  339. 


492  INDEX. 


Stadacorid,  ii.  13. 
Stair-;,  Captain,  436. 
Stanley,  Lorii,  309. 
Slump  Act,  ilu;,  184. 
Sleeves,  W.  H.,  344. 
Stephen,  George,  401. 
Stony  Creek,  239. 
.Stoneland,  3. 

Sirahan,  Doctor  John,  272. 
Street,  George  F.,  283. 
Strange,  General,  393. 
Subercase,  94. 
Sulpicians,  the,  69,  85. 
Suite,  Benjamin,  424. 
Susa,  convention  of,  44. 
Swift  current,  394. 
Sydenham,  Lord,  309. 

St. 

St.  Anne's  Point,  176,  198,  200. 

St.  Benoit.  294. 

St.  Castin,  95,  109. 

St.  Charles,  Fort,  1/3. 

St.  Charles,  battle  at,  294. 

St.  Croix,  24. 

St.  Denis,  battle  at,  294. 

St.  Eustache,  294. 

Ste.  Foye,  battle  of,  100. 

St.  Gerniain-en-I^aye,  44,  50. 

St.  George's  bay,  413. 

St.  Ignace,  65. 

St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  106,  162,  288, 

328,  413,  415. 
St.  John  River,  24,  52,  121. 
St.  John's  Island,  112,  199. 
St.  John,  198,  200,  380, 
St.  Joseph,  65. 
St.  Just,  Letellier  de,  381. 
St.  Lawrence,  8,  11,  165. 
Ste.  Marie,  66. 
St.  Pierre  Island,  163. 
St.  Sauveur,  30. 

T. 
Tadousac,  21. 
Talon,  74,  76,  80,  82. 
Tarleton,  191. 
Taylor,  Colonel,  243. 
Tach6,  Sir  Etienne  P.,  344. 


Tach6,  Archbishop,  364, 

Tenure  of  fealty  and  homage,  the,  42. 

Tenure  of  office  despatch,  306. 

Tea  tax,  184. 

Tecumseh,  226,  228. 

Temple,  58. 

Telegraph  systems,  Canadian,  435. 

Telephone,  invention  of,  435. 

Terra  Corterealis,  8 

Thorwald,  3. 

Thorfmn  Karlscfni,  4. 

Three  Pivers,  61,  165,  166,  189,  223. 

Thon^  ,  Sir  John,  409,  410,  412. 

Thonij.    )n,  Charles  Poulett,  305. 

Tioonderoga,  138,  139,  146,  186. 

Timber  duties,  218. 
'Tippecanoe,  226. 

TiUey,  Sir  S.  L.,  337,  342,  344. 

Tour,  Charles  de  la,  31,  47,  50,  51, 52,  53, 

54.  57.  58. 

Tour,  Claude  de  la,  47,  49. 

Tour,  I^dy  la,  49,  56. 

Tonti,  Henry  de,  85. 

Townshend,  General,  151,  159. 

Todd,  Alpheus,  425. 

Toronto.  215,  216,  274,  299. 

Tory,  ::^,6. 

Treaties,  Canada  gains  right  to  negoti- 
ate, 407. 

Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  121 ;  of  Paris, 
162,  173,  176;  of  Versailles,  193,  194; 
of  Amity  and  Commerce,  216;  of 
Ghent,  251;  the  Ashburton,  314;  the 
Reci])rocity,  324, 348;  the  Oregon,  332 ; 
of  Washington,  370;  of  Utrecht,  no;- 
of  Ryswick,  103,  104,  106. 

Trent  affair,  the,  340. 

'Turgot,  194. 

Tupper,  Sir  Charles,  337,  342,  344,  406. 

Turcotte,  424. 

Twelve  Resolutions,  the,  279. 

Tyrrell,  411. 

U. 


i 
I 


United  Colonies  of  New  England, 

66,  t>^6. 
United  Empire  list,  202. 
United  States,  the  frigate,  234. 
Uniacke,  R.  J.,  287. 
Uniforms  and  arms,  169. 


the. 


.42. 


:.  52.  53. 


I 


vv? 


negoti- 

Df  Paris, 

)3.  194; 
216;    of 

114;  the 
on, 332 ; 
;ht,  no; 


4,406. 


nd,  the. 


INDEX. 


493 


Universal  Postal  Union.  434.  | 

Upper  House,  elective,  325. 
Ursiilines,  70. 
Utrecht,  treaty  ot,  no. 

V. 

Van  Buren,  President,  314. 

Van  Corkier,  64. 

Van  Egmond,  299. 

Van  Rensselaer,  General,  227. 

Van  Schultz,  302. 

Vancouver  Island,  330. 

Vancouver  Island  and  British  Columbia 

separated,  333,  402. 
Vancouver,  Oaptain  (ieorge,  255. 
Vaudreuil,  Marciuis  de,  108, 112,113, 132, 

142,  148,  152. 
Vauban,  m. 
Vasco  di  Gama,  6. 
Venango,  Fort,  121. 
Verendrye,  de  la,  113. 
Vercheres,  Madeline  de  la,  102. 
Vergor,  127,  156. 
Verrazzano,  8. 
Victoria,  330. 
Victoria  Bridge,  the,  338. 
Viel,  Father  N'icholas,  41. 
Vigilance  committee,  298. 

Vignan,  Nicholas,  36. 

Vigilant,  the,  118. 

Villebon,  104. 

Ville-Marie,  62,  69. 

Villiers,  de,  132. 

Vincent,  Colonel,  239. 

Vineland,  3. 

Virginian  militia,  the,  134. 

Voltigeurs,  235. 

Volunteer  Force,  325. 

W. 

Walker,  Sir  Hoveden,  109. 

Walker,  Admiral,  414. 

War  of  Spanish  succession,  107;  of 
Austrian  succession,  115;  Seven 
Years',  the,  137  ;  of  1812,  225,  252. 

War  feeling,  Maine  and  New  Brunswick, 

313- 
Warren,  Admiral,  n8. 


Washington,  George,  131,  134,  183,  189, 

191,  217,  267. 
Washington,  treaty  of,  405  ;  city  of,  cap- 
tured, 251. 

Wasp,  the,  234. 

Waterways,  inland,  438. 

Webb,  General,  139. 

Webster,  Daniel,  313. 

West  India  Company,  76. 

West,  the  struggle  for,  130. 

West,  Sir  Sackville,  406. 

Weir,  Lieutenant,  293. 

Welsford,  Major,  325. 

Wentworth,  Sir  John,  217. 

Wetherall,  Colonel,  293. 

Whelan,  K.,  344., 

Whitbouvne,  Captain  Richard,  32. 

Whiteway,  Sir  William,  413,  416. 

Willis,  Judge,  273. 

Wilkinson,  General,  244. 

Wilkes,  Captain,  341. 

William  Henry,  Fort,  105,  136. 

Williams,  Sir  Fenwick,  325. 

Wilson,  Sir  Daniel,  421. 

Wimbledon,  373. 

Wilmot,  Lemuel  Allan,  284. 

Winnipeg,  366. 

Winnipegoosis,  114. 

Winslow,  Colonel,  126, 129. 

Winthrop's  expedition  against  Montreal, 

lOI. 

Wives  brought  out  for  colonists,  80. 

Wolfe,  Genera!..  142,  150,  151.  158, 

Wolfe's  Cove,  155. 

Wolseley,  General  Sir  Garnet,  365,  403. 

Wool,  Captain,  230. 

World's  P'air,  the,  411. 

Worrell  estate,  the,  326. 


Yeo,  Sir  James,  241. 
Yorktown,  191. 
York,  215. 

York,  Little,  216,  237, 
York  Factory,  257. 
Young  Street,  214. 
Young  Teazer,  247. 
Young,  John,  277. 


238. 


